Description

Warren H. Manning developed an environmental planning model based on the concept of gathering and organizing discrete types of environmental data, such as soils and vegetative cover, in mapped form, using gridded maps in particular. Similar mapping and overlay analysis is quite common today. What began as regional mapping evolved into what Manning termed the National Plan, a document representing an early attempt to provide a statistical profile of the entire country. The principal contribution of Manning's National Plan (1919) was the concept of a land classification system that could be used by governmental units to control the exploitation of natural resources and to evaluate scenic beauty. Manning's national planning work was undertaken on his own initiative. It was an inspiration for the more structured efforts of the National Resources Planning Board during the Roosevelt administrations.

Parts 1-3 of Warren Manning's National Plan provide easier downloading - please see Warren Manning's National Plan for the full report.