109 
those values in a competitive marketplace. The two most often mis- 
represented values, the first of which is the topic of discussion in this 
article, are those associated with (1) the provision of adequate facilities 
for outdoor recreation in the coastal zone, and (2) the protection and 
preservation of the unique ecological systems that abound in the 
marine environment. Although both of these are immeasurably im- 
portant and intricately related to the life and livelihood of every 
person in modern society, the coastal areas of this Nation have been 
sorely neglected as a public resource, while the need for careful alloca- 
tion of this irreplaceable asset has gone unattended. 
For generations there was little or no awareness of the dangers to 
future society ‘‘as long as the ability of the natural environment to 
absorb the effects of the socioeconomic environment seemed unlimited, 
and the problems of pollution and environmental damage were iso- 
lated.’ * Only recently has it become apparent that ‘‘the laws pro- 
tecting man from himself must be extended to protect the natural 
environment from man.’ * We have begun to recognize the need of 
human society for the resources of the coastal zone and its value to 
civilization both as an essential part of its ecosystem and as an ex- 
ploitable asset to be carefully allocated among competing uses. Of all 
these competing uses, the two that are most often misrepresented, 
recreation and ecology, may ultimately turn out to be the most 
important to the long-term health and well-being of man in our modern 
society! Although man is now the dominant species on earth, his very 
survival depends on the intricately complex ecological balance among 
all plants and animals within thetr respective environments; and the 
well-being of each individual depends upon the maintenance (with 
the help. of recreation) of his internal psychological balance and the 
external balance that exists in his interactions with the outside world. 
All this points to the inherent nature of the allocation of our scarce, 
valuable shoreline resources as an important issue in land-use manage- 
ment. It is the purpose of this article,> to set forth the important 
economic, political, and sociological aspects of coastal land use for 
outdoor recreation, with a focus on the New England shoreline. The 
goal is to derive some insight into the nature of effective land-use 
policies. that might be used to govern the allocation of shoreline re- 
sources in a Manner most consistent with the goals and values of 
American society. 
II. THE STATUS OF SHORELINE RESOURCES 
Our Nation faces a crisis in shoreline recreation, right now, today. 
In straightforward terms, it has come about because a mushrooming 
demand for this unique and relatively scarce resource has far out- 
stripped the effective supply. The problems are particularly acute in 
the crowded Northeast, of which the New England region is a part. 
Anyone who has been delayed for hours on a hot day in bumper-to- 
bumper traffic to Cape Cod beaches, or who has experienced the 
mobs of people at the Revere and Lynn shores, or who has not been 
3 Thbid., reference 1; vol. I, pt. I, p. 4. 
4 Thbid., reference 1. 
5D. W. Ducsik, editor, Project NECAP, reporting the results of an interdisciplinary graduate course 
at MIT investigating selected issues of long-term significance to the well-being of the New England region, 
including electric power production, shoreline recreation, air and water pollution, and political reorganiza- 
tion (to be published by the MIT Press). 
