Chapter 12: Land Use Planning

what percentage of land is taken up by crops in the US

55% is crops, agricultural land and livestock

what percentage of land is taken up by forests in the US

34% by forests and natural areas

what percentage of land is taken up by intensive human use in the US

11% is human use

how much has share of land used for agriculture decreased since 1949

11% decrease in agricultural land use

when did harvested cropland increase

between 2002 and 2012

has land use for grazing increased?

yes, between 2002 and 2012

what historical forces shaped land use

landscape was converted to farming, by US colonists, then to towns and cities

what provided transport in US colonist’s time

waterways provided primary transport.

allowed exploring and commerce

how long was North America rural

until industrial growth began in the 1800’s

why did cities grow in the 1800’s

industrial revolution: migration, job growth

european immigration

cultural, social, artistic opportunities

what led to migration from the central city to suburbs

lack of control over industry led to polluted waterways, when roads and trails became more common, many left waterways.

agricultural land converted to housing

what was the shift from migration in city to suburbs

1800 US nearly rural country

late 1800s -shift to urban

2010: 84% of US pop urban or suburban

what was wrong with the Cuyahoga river

caught fire, 1968, residents passed $100 mil bond to cleanup river

oil slick fire, damage to railroad bridges

when was the clean water act

1972

followed the 1969 oil fire on cuyahoga river

what happened to agricultural land during migration from central city to suburbs

it was used for housing, decreasing the food production

prices rise, people look for land further away

urban sprawl and crowding

what is urban sprawl

pattern of unplanned low density housing and commercial development outside of cities

what two practices contribute to urban sprawl

zoning ordinances isolate employment and shopping from houses

low density planning aimed at creating auto access to increased land size

what 3 ways does urban sprawl occur

development of wealthy suburbs next to city

tract development is construction of similar residential units over large areas

ribbon sprawl consists of commercial industrial buildings lining highways connecting homes to central city

what are some factors that contribute to urban sprawl

lifestyle: increased wealth

economic: building on agricultural land less expensive than established cities

planning and policy: political jurisdictions means hard to lay down blanket laws

what are problems with unplanned growth

death in central city

loss of community sense

higher infrastructure costs

transportation

loss of green space

loss of farmland

water pollution

floodplain

wetlands misuse

geology resource limitations

what are land use planning principles

urban planning which seeks to order and regulate land usage in an efficient and ethical way

what does land planning do

evaluates needs of population

values land characteristics

finds alternatives before using land

what is the basic rule of land planning

make as few changes as possible

what are mechanisms for planning land usage

restricting use: zoning

segregagte uses that are incompatible

control activities and buildings on certain lots

what are special urban planning issues

remodeling abandoned commercial buildings into shopping centers, facilities, and high density housing

what are federal government land use issues

US govt owns and manages 30% of US land

such as National parks service

bureau of land management

forest service

USFWS

what does the NPS do

preserve significant scenic areas

Yellowstone first in 1872

Devil’s Tower national monument in 1906