Land Use Indicators
- Land developed for each new resident
- Acreage in farmland
Introduction
Since World War II, prevailing patterns of land use throughout the country have emphasized the conversion of natural or agricultural land to low-density residential subdivisions, commercial centers, and business parks separated by roads and parking lots. Often described as "sprawl," this type of land use creates long distances between homes and work or shopping, a heavy reliance on highways and automobiles, and the destruction of the natural landscape.Studies have recently been identifying and quantifying the negative impacts that result from sprawl. These include: wildlife habitat loss and fragmentation, degradation of water quality as watersheds are paved, diminished air quality, loss of farmland, loss of open space, decline in community and quality of life as more time is spent isolated in cars and homes, and hazards to public health such as obesity from less walking.
Sprawl has been particularly egregious in the southeastern states, encouraged by a growth boom along major transportation corridors in the past decade or so and lower land prices on the outskirts of cities. Land is being consumed in this part of the country at alarming rates.
Communities are rapidly recognizing the dangers inherent in sprawling development. Communities are enacting land use policies to promote efficient land use, developing collaborative land-use planning efforts among different levels of government, and protecting open space and farmland.
Source of information: Biodiversity Project: Getting on Message/About Sprawl. www.biodiversityproject.org
Land Use Indicator: Land Developed for Each New Resident
Figure 10: Increase in Developed Land Vs. Population Increase 1982-97
About the Indicator
The accompanying graph shows the percentage increase in acres of land developed in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill metro area between 1982-1997, and juxtaposes these increases against the increase in population during the same period. It illustrates that urbanized land increase has outpaced population growth and serves as one of many indicators of sprawl.
The indicator that is used for a measure of land use is the amount of land developed for each new resident, a number calculated by dividing the number of developed acres between 1982-1997 by the number of new residents. The number of acres developed for each new resident is per person, and not per household. For example, while the number of acres developed per new person was 0 .71 acres, for a household of 4 people, 2.84 acres were developed. If this trend were to continue, between 2000-2030 Gaston County would develop 26,768 more acres of land, or 11% of the county's total land area.
Figure 11: Land Use Indicator
Land Developed for Each New resident in Region Between 1982-1997
Researchers examined data compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as part of its Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) database, for 312 metropolitan areas across the country. Of the top 20 land-consuming metro areas identified in the United States, the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill area ranked 5th. That means that this metro area consumed more land per population than all but four other metro areas in the U.S. The metro areas ranking worse than the Charlotte region included Orlando, FL (#1), Nashville TN (#2), Raleigh-Durham-Chapel hill (#3), and Atlanta, GA (#4). Table 3 includes these top five land-consuming metro areas in the U.S, including the Charlotte-Gastonia-RockHill metro area.
| Metropolitan Area | Increase in Developed Land as % of 1982 developed land base | Land Developed, 1982-1997 (in acres) |
| Orlando, FL | 105% | 222,600 |
| Nashville, TN | 103% | 216,000 |
| Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill | 95% | 207,000 |
| Atlanta, GA | 81% | 609,500 |
| Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC | 74% | 246,200 |
It is possible to reduce the impact of development in the future. The Gaston
County Comprehensive Plan provides policy guidance to help minimize development
impacts. Some potential methods for allowing development while also decreasing
its impacts include:
· Allocate resources to identify and protect open space and critical
aquatic areas
· Encourage compact development that mixes retail, residential, and
commercial uses
· Manage stormwater using natural systems that slow stormwater down
and allow it to infiltrate into the ground and replenish streams and groundwater
(often called low-impact development or LID techniques)
The source of information for this indicator was:
Paving our Way to Water Shortages: How Sprawl Aggravates the Effects of Drought
published by American Rivers, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and
Smart Growth America. It is available at: http://www.americanrivers.org/landuse/sprawldroughtreport.htm
QNRC Goals and Recommended Actions:
| Indicator | 2008 Goal | Actions to achieve the goal |
| Land developed for each new resident |
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Land Use Indicator: Acreage in Farmland
About the Indicator
Well-managed agricultural lands and forested areas perform many environment-enhancing
functions. Along with recycling of carbon dioxide (CO2) through photosynthesis,
vegetated areas buffer streams and allow rainwater to infiltrate and recharge
the groundwater system. Agriculture is an important industry for economic
and cultural reasons in Gaston County. In 1997, 333 active farms were located
in Gaston County, with a total land area of 34,860 acres in farmland. Farms
in Gaston County sold $9,947,000 in agricultural products in 1997. Keeping
land in agricultural use also saves taxpayers' money by using fewer public
services than residential land uses. Residential land uses rarely, if ever,
pay for themselves.
According to the July 2002 Gaston County Comprehensive Plan, citizens in 4 out of 5 regions in Gaston County mentioned farmland loss as an issue of concern at public meetings held to discuss county planning. As urbanizing pressure from the Charlotte Metro area continues to affect Gaston County, preserving farmland in the future will involve not only the preservation of the land itself, but also preservation of a network to support the agricultural industry. So far, twenty-six counties in North Carolina have adopted Farmland Protection Ordinances that allow counties to enact agricultural districts. This tool is available for Gaston County to use as well.
Data on farmland was obtained from the 1997 Census of Agriculture for North Carolina and the Farm Service Agency in Gaston County. Farmland acreage is or can be used for cropland or pasture, and does not include other parts of a farm's lot (barns, houses, driveways, etc.). A 2002 Census of Agriculture for North Carolina with updated information should be available from the US Department of Agriculture by early 2004. Census of Agriculture Reports are available at www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/agric.html.
| Year | Acres in Potential or Actual Cropland |
| 1992 | 34,717 |
| 1997 | 34,860 |
| 2002 | 34,596 |
QNRC Goals and Recommended Actions:
| Indicator | 2008 Goal | Actions to achieve the goal |
| Actual and potential cropland acres |
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