6
6Nature, food, and water
The color maps of 38 urban regions represent a treasure chest for the curious.
Opening this chest to discover intriguing and important patterns is the delight
of this chapter and the next. Here we look rather directly for patterns in the
areas of nature, food, and water. In chapter5 weexplore built systems, built
areas, and whole regions to find significant natural systems and human use
patterns.
Although nature, food and water are separated for sequential presentation
purposes, clearly broad overlaps exist among the three categories. Nature often
thrives both in food-producing areas and in water-bodies (Figure6.1). Food prod-
ucts are harvested from both natural vegetation and aquatic ecosystems. And
waterisoften abundant in both natural areas and farmland. Still, from a spatial
planning perspective, providing for viable natural-vegetation areas, agricultural
landscapes, and streams/rivers/lakes/aquifers/marine areas is fundamental.
With thetreasure chest open before us, first we must consider how to find
thenuggets. How do we sort through the mass of material and decipher key
patterns. We are only looking for major patterns or results. Minor results, as
well as major ones that we miss, will await discovery by others. So we start
bybriefly considering the important spatial-analysis process used to reveal the
nuggets.Spatial analysis for patterns
Intelligence agencies know that if you know what you are looking for,
thechance of finding it increases enormously. That does not work here because,
as a scientist, I attempt to put my views and wishes aside, and let the patterns
appear through objective analysis.