Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Glossary
A
Affirmative action
: Positive discrimination. The term was first used by President
J.F. Kennedy, and continued by his successor, Lyndon Johnson. The policy
objective is not to impose quotas, but to encourage better representation of colored
people in qualified positions.
Agenda 21
: Action Plan 21, or Agenda 21 as more commonly used in English,
was adopted by 173 countries during the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. The declaration sets a comprehensive plan of action for the twenty-first
century in order to move towards a global sustainable development. Agenda 21
outlines many recommendations on such issues as housing, atmospheric pollution,
sea, forest and land management, desertification, water resources and sanitation
management, agriculture, and waste management. Agenda 21 remains the reference
for the implementation of sustainable development at the local level. Chapter 28 of
Agenda 21 encourages local authorities to mobilize local partners - businesses,
residents and associations - to develop local agendas, Local Agenda 21.
American Community Survey
: an annual survey to measure the population
changes in the United States at the national level, the state level, and within large
cities. The decennial census is used as the basis of the survey. A questionnaire is
sent to between 850,000 and 900,000 households in years ending in 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
and 9, and to just under 3 million households in years ending in 5. The response rate
is about two-thirds. The 2005 survey was quite extensive and the results will be
available at the county level of detail (for estimation of total population) enabling
analysts to contextualize the 2010 decennial census questionnaire with respect to
mobility and migration.
