| | Case study 2 - The Darien region study, Panama (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26) |
 | | This account of planning the development of the Darien region of Panama, through which the Pan American Highway was to be built, illustrates both the great difficulty of limiting spontaneous colonization along a penetration road through a remote humid tropical forest and the commensurate importance of integrated development planning. |
 | | Before the study could be formally initiated, the physical boundaries of the study area, the contributions the OAS and the Government of Panama would make to the study, and the level of investment capital Panama would dedicate to implementing the study team's recommendations had to be determined. |
 | | Zones I and II, Chucunaque and La Palma-Sambú, were designated for immediate development since preliminary construction activities on the Pan American Highway had already led to uncontrolled settlement in this area, agricultural conditions were relatively favorable, and Yaviza was the region's fastest-growing town. |
| www.oas.org /osde/publications/Unit/oea03e/ch07.htm (4533 words) |