American frontier remains with us today, a guest editorial written by Deborah E. Popper and Frank J. Popper appears in the Times-Standard and syndicates throughout the internet.
Excerpt: Absorbing its Western frontier gave 19th century America a core task. In 1890 the Census Bureau, which tracked frontier settlement, declared the job done. Yet the American frontier persists, its needs largely invisible. Today’s task is to recognize its survival and ensure its people and places get fair treatment.
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Deborah Popper’s work has focused on how regions adjust to environmental pressures and population loss. With her husband Frank, she developed the concept of the Buffalo Commons, a metaphor that has served as a guide for a future based on ecological restoration. She serves on the governing boards of the American Geographical Society and the Center for Frontier Communities.
Deborah E. Popper teaches geography at The City University of New York’s College of Staten Island and the CUNY Graduate Center. Frank J. Popper teaches land-use planning at Rutgers University. They teach together at Princeton University.
