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Land Resources and Conservation
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LAND USE
Many environmental
concerns converge in the issue of land use. Pollution, population
issues, preservation of our biological resources, mineral and energy
needs, and production of food are all tied to
Economic Pressures for Land Use
The way privately owned land is taxed
affects its use. For example, sometimes forest or agricultural land that
is located near urban and suburban areas is taxed as potential urban
land. Because of the higher taxes on this land, its owners fall under
greater pressure to sell it, which ultimately hastens its development.
However, if such land is taxed as forest or farmland, the lower taxes
are an incentive for owners to hold onto the land and maintain it in its
undeveloped condition. Thus, land use is largely controlled by economic
factors.
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Public Planning of Land Use
Examine the use of
land where you live. You may he surrounded by high rises and
factories or by tree-lined streets interspersed with open parkland.
Regardless of your surroundings, it is likely that they got that
way by accident. Most areas have a land-use plan that includes
zoning, but rarely to land-use plans take into account all aspects
of land as a resource both before and after development. The
philosophy of most land-use plans is that development is good
because it increases the tax base (even though the revenue from
these taxes is usually consumed providing services to the developed
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Land-use decisions
are complex because they have multiple effects. For example, if a tract
of land is to be developed for housing, then roads, sewage lines,
and schools must be built nearby to accommodate the influx of people.
This usually results in the opening of restaurants and shopping areas,
which take up more land.
Public planning of land use must take into
account all repercussions of the proposed land use, not just its
immediate effects. It is helpful to begin with an inventory of the land,
including its soil type, topography, types of plants and animals,
endangered or threatened organisms, and historical or archaeological
sites.
At this stage, the public planning
commission attempts to understand the value of the hind as is currently
exists as well as its potential value after any proposed change.
In addition to providing people with open space for recreation and
mental health, undeveloped land provides environmental services that
must be recognized. All of these benefits should be compared with
the possible economic benefits of development. In the long-term, the
best use of land may not be the use that provides immediate economic
again.
If the land will
ultimately be developed, the development plan should be comprehensive.
It should indicate which areas will remain open space, which will remain
agricultural, and which will be zoned for high, medium-, and low-density
housing.
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