Rob Ribe

Professor and Director, Institute for a Sustainable Environment

Room 229 Lawrence
346-3648
rribe@uoregon.edu

B.S., 1977, California, Riverside; M.S., 1981, M.A. 1987, Ph.D., 1990, Wisconsin. (1988)

Professor Robert Ribe is interested in how and why the public comes to value places. He investigates the relationship between the way designers, planners and resource managers understand the content and character of landscape change and the way that people evaluate land use choices. He is especially expert in the role aesthetics plays in these issues. His recent research and publications have focused on public perceptions of alternative timber harvests in Pacific Northwest national forests in relation to regional habitat conservation plans. Rob incorporates his studies of landscape law, aesthetics and economics in his land analysis, research methods, design and land use planning classes. He is particularly interested in how Oregon's statewide land use planning program effects the form of landscapes at various scales. Dr. Ribe has substantial professional and consulting experience in visual resource management and methods of social psychology research.

Selected Recent Publications

Ribe, R. 2005 Perceptions of Green-tree Retention Timber Harvests in Vista Views: How Much do Cut Level, Pattern and Design Matter? Landscape and Urban Planning. (in press)

Ribe, R. 2005 Comparing Changes in Scenic Beauty Produced by Green-Tree Retention Harvests, Thinnings and Clearcuts: Evidence From Three Pacific Northwest Experiments. In: Maguire and others (eds.) Balancing Ecosystem Values: Innovative Experiments for Sustainable Forestry. USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report PNW-635. Portland, OR.

Ribe, R. and M. Matteson. 2002. Views of Old Forestry and New Among Reference Groups in the Pacific Northwest. Western Journal of Applied Forestry, 17(4):1-10.

Ribe, R. 2002. Is Scenic Beauty a Proxy for Acceptable Management? The Influence of Environmental Attitudes on Landscape Perceptions. Environment and Behavior, 34(6):757-780.

Ribe, R., E.T. Armstrong and P.H. Gobster. 2002. Scenic Vistas and the Changing Policy Landscape: Visualizing and Testing the Role of Visual Resources in Ecosystem Management. Landscape Journal, 21(1): 42-66.

Ribe, R. and T. Silvaggio. 2002. National forest management in timber and spotted owl country: A survey of interested people in western Oregon and Washington. Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon.