Land use planning shapes the intersections among homes, infrastructure and nature that contribute to vibrant communities. It brings policy together with design to provide a framework that reduces costly redesigns and legal disputes.
Step 1: Review Existing Conditions and Assess Local Infrastructure, Zoning Maps and Development Policies.
Examine current housing demand, transportation access and employment trends.
Environmental Protection
Land use planning helps direct economic and urban development in ways that protect natural resources and biodiversity, including supporting sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, outdoor recreation and ecological preservation and protection. Furthermore, emergency response systems may also help mitigate risks like floods, wildfires or hurricanes.
With increasing environmental consciousness comes increased attention from land use planners about how their developments will impact surrounding ecosystems. More cities now require new developments be constructed on permeable surfaces for reduced stormwater runoff and pollution; such initiatives contribute to maintaining healthy watersheds, protecting wetlands and preventing flooding.
State laws like the Environmental Quality Review Act (EQRA) mandate that government and public agencies consult with land use planners prior to undertaking any action that might impact on environmental health, allowing a level of transparency needed for sustainability while simultaneously giving building professionals an opportunity to offer their expertise.
Economic Development
Land use planning provides the strategic framework for city growth, enabling local governments to regulate what kinds of buildings and businesses can be constructed in an area, as well as allocating land for public services and infrastructure support. While each country’s system for land-use regulation differs significantly, many principles remain the same across borders.
Land planning offers numerous advantages, including environmental conservation, curbing urban sprawl, reduced transportation costs and avoiding land-use conflicts as well as reduced exposure to pollutants. Recent housing affordability crises in the U.S. have reignited discussion about reforming land use regulation to foster more equitable economic development.
Economic development efforts increasingly center around attracting new business investment and workforce recruitment, alongside capital investments in local infrastructure. But these policies must also take into account what’s necessary to promote inclusive growth – including access to high-quality job training and connections to employers or creating community-based economies of supply and demand that reduce income inequality.
Social Development
Land use plans are used to facilitate development in an organized and sustainable manner, by outlining goals for development and setting restrictions that align with them. Plans also aim to establish infrastructure such as roads and transit systems to support future growth.
Land use planning seeks to foster an economically and socially stable community by creating convenient housing at an affordable cost, creating jobs and services within the neighborhood, ensuring safety in its environment and promoting fair access to natural resources such as water, air and land.
Without proper land use plans, cities would become incoherent and unworkable; businesses wouldn’t function efficiently; homes and the environment would become polluted; and people would find it increasingly difficult to find living space. NAHB has developed the Land Use 101 series as a means of equipping its members and HBAs for engagement in this essential process, navigating regulations hurdles, and creating communities in which families can thrive.
Conservation
Land use planning seeks to ensure any development does not negatively impact the environment or nearby residents, using environmental impact analysis in the planning process as a tool. Through this phase, any issues that might potentially arise are identified and resolved – for instance if a new home needs access to large volumes of water but the nearest source is located several miles away; creating a plan will address how sufficient water can be supplied can avoid this scenario.
Land-use planning is also essential to the protection of biological diversity. Rapid urbanization and landscape transformation present serious threats to national biodiversity (Dale et al. 2000).
NAHB has developed several resources to assist its members and HBAs navigate the land-use planning process, overcome regulatory hurdles, and create communities that will sustain future generations. These include PowerPoint presentations containing discussion points on each slide to better equip members and HBAs to engage in local planning discussions.