In the assessment of SPS, these forces are deliberately being brought together. The aim is to manage the potential conflict between these groups through an open exchange of information and views. The need for this action is readily understandable when one recognizes some of the societal trends in the United States which are being mirrored in other countries of the world such as: o During the past 50 - 100 years, there has been increasing centralization in Government, business and cities. Today, however, America appears to be moving into a process of decentralization that has begun to have a profound impact on all public policy decisions. States, communities and neighborhoods are increasing their influence and controls. Rural areas are growing. The referenda or initiative process appears to be a powerful trend. In all sections of the country we will be submitting new questions to this political process. o In government and technology the trend or phenomena of appropriate scale is replacing the single position of economies of scale. We also are noticing that the introduction of every new technology is necessarily accompanies by compensating human responses or the new technology is rejected. CB radios permit people to extend their communications while still retaining a sense of being private. Medical technology extending the life of people has resulted in the Hospice movement, the human response towards understanding the dignity of death. o And finally, the United States and Western Europe are becoming more and more multi-option societies and less and less either-or societies. Based upon these historical trends linked to the forecasts of population growths and resultant world energy needs, is it not apparent that technological innovation is mandatory? Further, reviews of the world's resources and technological possibilities make it apparent that no one technology can meet all the needs of the future. Rather, appropriate technologies of all scales - decentralized with individual control and medium and large centralized ones will be needed. These facts and interpretations have served as the philosophical basis for the SPS assessment process. THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS The DOE/NASA-CDEP assessment is an evolutionary process, based on past studies, experiments and developing new knowledge within an expanding framework of issues and laying tentative plans for the future.
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