Designing without nature: unsewered residential development in rural Wisconsin

In the classic environmental planning book, Design with Nature, McHarg (1969) demonstrated a land use planning process that employed multiple layers of geocoded data. Computerized geographic information systems (GIS) have subsequently enhanced land use plannersʹ abilities to identify the opportunities and constraints posed by a landscapeʹs biophysical systems. Nevertheless, improvements in transportation infrastructure, combined with an assortment of technological advances, have greatly diminished the constraining effects of distance and physiography on land use spatial patterns. In the United States, for example, advances in wastewater management technology have decreased the influence of soil permeability, depth to bedrock, and depth to water table on residential development locational decisions. The evolution of this technology has helped facilitate scattered, low-density residential development in rural landscapes across the nation. This paper examines the public health and rural growth management implications of unsewered residential development in the State of Wisconsin.