Land use planning seeks to promote orderly occupation and sustainable development of land, taking into consideration social, economic, cultural and technical factors.
NAHB has developed a Land-Use Planning 101 toolkit to better equip members and HBAs to engage in conversations about land development. It includes MS PowerPoint presentations that can be customized by individual users to address local examples and data.
Public uses
Land use planning is the process by which governments, communities or private individuals decide how and where to develop land for public purposes. This may include housing, roads, schools, parks, and commercial facilities. Land-use decisions affect the environment, economy, and quality of life for citizens. They must take into account natural resource availability, the economics of land management, and the adequacy of existing infrastructure to meet current and future demands.
The first step in land use planning is to establish the objectives of the plan and identify problems or opportunities for improvement. This requires gathering information on the physical and cultural characteristics of the area being studied. A survey of the local population can provide important feedback on community interests, needs and priorities. A reconnaissance field tour, during which the planner visits the area and meets with representatives of the population, can be particularly valuable at this point.
The next step is to determine the site attributes that are most relevant to the planned activities and their potential impacts. This involves visiting the site, inspecting aerial photographs and conducting market analyses or user-demand studies. Obtaining a comprehensive list of site attributes and evaluating them against the desired land-use goals can be a lengthy and complex task. The final result, however, will be a set of site conditions that can serve as the basis for decisions about the most appropriate uses of the land.
A land-use program typically includes a mix of land-management strategies that work together to achieve the desired outcome. These may include zoning regulations that designate different types of land for different uses, conservation initiatives to protect or enhance biological diversity, and sustainable-management initiatives designed to maintain natural resources at their optimal carrying capacity.
While some land-use changes are inevitable, others can be avoided or mitigated. For example, by using low-impact development techniques and making careful consideration of site conditions, it is possible to build homes on steep slopes or eroding soils without damaging the surrounding environment. Similarly, environmental restoration projects can prevent the loss of important habitats by restoring riparian zones, wetlands, and other ecological ‘infrastructure’ that support healthy ecosystems.
The ability to manage the supply of land for public use depends on a combination of factors, including the price of land and the cost of transportation infrastructure. Governmental land-use policies can influence these variables by directing growth and development to areas with appropriate infrastructure. This helps to reduce urban sprawl and improves the environmental quality of cities by limiting the consumption of land that cannot support it. It also allows cities to maintain their livability by preserving open space and reducing traffic congestion. However, this approach has limits and may create unintended consequences. Overly restrictive regulation can make it impractical for developers to build enough housing to meet the need and drive up costs. This is a common problem in North America, where systems of overly prescriptive land-use planning have contributed to the housing crisis. These issues are being addressed by developing innovative approaches to limit suburbanization and promote the efficient use of urban space.