Land Use

Land use Regulation

The concept of land use assumes that all land can be surveyed and classified according to its [Page 1727]economic use. Social activities or cultural meanings are generally ignored. The concept is based on applying classifications to land areas and can be used at different scales, such as individually owned parcels of land or larger administrative overlays. It is an inherently spatial concept as it is a statement about what is happening at different locations. This concept provides a basic set of statistics about the allocation of urban and rural space to different activities, which can be measured for jurisdictions at any spatial scale. As there is generally a finite supply of land available in a jurisdiction, an increase in one land use will require a decrease in other land uses. Evaluating changes in land use over time therefore provides a means of measuring economic change in an area.

Land use cannot be discussed separately from the regulation of land uses. In most jurisdictions, land uses are controlled by zoning laws, which govern what activities may be carried out on properties and where different activities may take place. This is based on the notion that certain land uses are incompatible with others, may reduce property values, cause health and safety problems for humans, or result in environmental damage. Land use regulation is therefore aimed at the legal exclusion of particular land uses (such as industry) from certain areas (such as residential areas) to prevent conflicts or for the preservation of environments such as endangered wetlands. This process, in turn, requires classifications based on knowledge of the potential value of different land uses, the effects of land uses on adjacent land uses, and even the effects of the relative abundance of different land uses within a city on land values (or future land values). Implicit in this is the valuation of land uses, whether for increased land value and taxation or for social desirability. However, land use zones do not necessarily specify which land uses actually exist in an area but only what future uses are planned. Land uses existing before a zoning law is created may be allowed to continue. In that sense, zoning represents a preferred or idealized land use classification and map.

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