Niemeier Traditionally, disciplined-based science and engineering has long governed the generation of new knowledge about the built and natural environments. This knowledge has led to dramatic and compelling changes in understanding of the inter-relatedness between these environments. However, to date, there is little knowledge, nor working models to aid in understanding how this relationship, in its entirety, changes over time and how to incrementally adapt to increase long-term sustainability of both the built and natural environments. This study will begin by compiling the first integrated engineering and science assessment for the San Joaquin Valley, "The SJV Synthesis of Science and Engineering Issues: An Assessment for Entering the 21st Century" (SJV Assessment). The Assessment, aimed at characterizing the current state of knowledge regarding interactions between the built and natural environments, will include three major efforts: a compilation of the current scientific and engineering knowledge, and gaps in knowledge on the existing built and natural environment conditions and interactions in the SJV; identification of the ways that brokering of natural resources is undertaken to support the current land use configuration and infrastructure services; and finally, a summary of needed research in strategies, techniques, and resources which would further the likelihood of a more "holistic" sustainability between the competing land uses and the built and natural environments.
Changes in the built system are clearly accompanied by trade-offs in the health and performance of both the natural and built environments. Some of these trade-offs will be reflected in the spatial distributions and some will be reflected in temporal distributions. Understanding the effects of changes, sometimes through policy, on the entire system requires the development and assessment of indicators of system performance with both a spatial and temporal context. The second task of this study will be to develop a suite of health and performance indicators that can be used to assess the effects of perturbations in the system, given current conditions as a baseline. As part of this effort a new database will be established that facilitates on-going and dynamic inventorying and monitoring of the newly developed natural and built performance and health indicators. The data will be maintained by the new Center for Science, Cities, and the Land currently housed in the John Muir Institute on the Environment at UC Davis. ***
