Abstract:
In this paper, we consider the transfer of environmental and cultural assets to the next generation as a potential
measure of sustainability. We define net assets as the value of renewable and nonrenewable natural resources plus humanmade,
intellectual, social, and cultural capital, minus any debts. We apply this approach by first reviewing survey data
reflecting how cultural capital may yield microbehaviors that add up to the macroresults of environmental protection and
restoration. Second, we evaluate how human activities play out on the landscape. Rather than a dollar measure of assets,
historical changes in land use are a proxy for asset change. A broad look at the Willamette Valley, Oregon s most urban and
industrial area, shows that capital in forest lands has shifted from significant loss to improvement, agricultural lands have
decreased only slightly, and urban development has taken a relatively small share of the total landscape. However, sprawl is
increasing despite efforts to contain urban growth. Looking at highly valuable ecological features for the future, we find that
wetlands continue to be lost, important species are endangered, and the secondary impact of urbanization on the landscape is
increasing.
