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Planning for the Disposal of the Dead

Author

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  • Carlton Basmajian
  • Christopher Coutts

Abstract

Problem: Concurrent with the dramatic increase in the nation's elderly population expected in coming decades will be a need to dispose of larger numbers of our dead. This issue has religious, cultural, and economic salience, but is not typically considered a planning problem. Although cremation rates are rising, burial is projected to remain the preferred alternative for the majority of the U.S. population, and urban space for cemeteries is limited in many communities. Purpose: We outline issues related to cemeteries and burial, describe a number of alternatives to traditional cemeteries, and explain how planners might usefully contribute. Methods: This work is based on a literature review. Results and conclusions: Alternatives to the cemetery are emerging, but remain limited. Some require changes to laws or public perceptions. Planning practice could be advanced by case studies showing how to integrate burial grounds into existing communities and how to alter public policy to permit alternatives to burial. Takeaway for practice: As population demographics change, environmental concerns intensify, and demand for urban space grows, future land use decisions will have to balance a diverse set of social, cultural, and environmental expectations, including taking into account burial practices. There are only a handful of alternatives to traditional burial in a cemetery: burial in a multiple-use cemetery; natural burial; entombment in a mausoleum; cremation, with the ashes preserved in a columbarium or scattered elsewhere; and burial in a grave that will be reused in the future. This article provides planners with information about each of these alternatives, examples of how the planning process can address disposal of the dead, suggestions for avoiding environmental externalities, and ideas for better integrating the landscapes of death into community life. Research support: None

Suggested Citation

  • Carlton Basmajian & Christopher Coutts, 2010. "Planning for the Disposal of the Dead," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 76(3), pages 305-317.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:rjpaxx:v:76:y:2010:i:3:p:305-317
    DOI: 10.1080/01944361003791913
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Puzdrakiewicz, Krystian, 2023. "To what extent are cities prepared for their residents’ deaths? An example of cemetery management in large Polish cities," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    2. Riccardo Scalenghe & Ottorino-Luca Pantani, 2019. "Connecting Existing Cemeteries Saving Good Soils (for Livings)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Ti-Ching Peng & Ying-Hui Chiang, 2015. "The non-linearity of hospitals' proximity on property prices: experiences from Taipei, Taiwan," Journal of Property Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(4), pages 341-361, December.
    4. Turkhan Sadigov, 2021. "Death beyond the means: Funeral overspending and its government regulation around the world," Rationality and Society, , vol. 33(3), pages 363-398, August.
    5. Nosi, Costanza & D'Agostino, Antonella & Piccioni, Niccolò & Bartoli, Chiara, 2023. "Becoming a tree when I will be dead? Why not! Generation X, Y and Z, and innovative green death practices," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    6. Długozima Anna & Kosiacka-Beck Ewa, 2020. "How to Enhance the Environmental Values of Contemporary Cemeteries in an Urban Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-19, March.
    7. Petio, Maxwell Kwotua, 2023. "Reflections on urbanisation, land supply and the Ghanaian physical planning system towards sustaining cemetery land use in Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    8. Allam, Zaheer, 2019. "The city of the living or the dead: On the ethics and morality of land use for graveyards in a rapidly urbanised world," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    9. Alexis D. Smith & Emily Minor, 2019. "Chicago’s Urban Cemeteries as Habitat for Cavity-Nesting Birds," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-16, June.
    10. nugroho, anton priyo, 2018. "Determinant Disonansi Kognitifnasabah Bank Syariah," INA-Rxiv 2b6fz, Center for Open Science.
    11. Christien Klaufus, 2016. "Deathscape politics in Colombian metropolises: Conservation, grave recycling and the position of the bereaved," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(12), pages 2453-2468, September.
    12. Gilles Paché, 2022. "Value Chain Analysis in the Context of Funeral Service: A Research Note," Post-Print hal-03946945, HAL.

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