Addressing Growth and Sprawl:
Educational Tools and
Resources
Prepared for the:
National Public Policy Education Conference
September 21-24, 2003
Salt Lake City, Utah
Stephan J. Goetz, Ph.D.
Director, The Northeast Regional Center for Rural
Development and Professor of Agricultural and
Regional Economics, Penn State University
Presentation based on:
“Ten Things Members of Every
Community (in the Northeast
US) Need to Know About Land
Use…”


Edited by Stephan J. Goetz and Tim Kelsey,
June 2003
Available on The Northeast Center’s website
www.cas.nercrd.psu.edu
1. No other region of the country
faces greater pressure on its land
base than the Northeast US.
(The Northeast Center)
The region has 22% of the population, but only 6.7% of the
nation’s land area. Choose a comparable fact for your region
(e.g., availability of water in the West).
Measures of Urbanization, 1982-97,
by US Region (adapted from Fulton et al. 2001)
Northeast
Midwest
South
West
0
Urban land change
20
40
Population change
60
Ratio
2. Once traffic gridlock occurs in a
community, it is almost always too
late to do anything about it.
(Brookings)



And, traffic gridlock is growing across the nation
Most cities cannot sprawl their way out of congestion
The following examples are for cities in the Northeast, but congestion cost patterns are similar
elsewhere in the US
Mobility Data for Baltimore, MD, 1982-2000
4000
450
Density
400
3500
350
Population Density
300
2500
250
2000
200
1500
150
1000
100
Congestion Cost
500
50
0
0
1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Congestion cost per capita
3000
Mobility Data for Boston, MA, 1982-2000
3000
600
Density
500
Population Density
2500
400
2000
300
1500
200
1000
Congestion Cost
100
500
0
0
1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Congestion Cost per Capita
3500
1720
Mobility Data for Hartford-Middletown, CT
1982-2000
250
1700
Population Density
1660
Density
150
1640
1620
100
1600
1580
Congestion Cost
50
1560
1540
0
1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Congestion Cost per Capita
200
1680
3750
Mobility Data for Washington DC-MD-VA,
1982-2000
700
3700
600
3600
Population Density
Density
500
3550
400
3500
3450
300
3400
200
3350
Congestion Cost
3300
100
3250
3200
0
1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Congestion Cost per Capita
3650
3. Planning is usually the only way
in which unpleasant surprises
related to land use can be
avoided. (M. Dougherty)

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Planning: an orderly, open approach to
determining local needs and wants,
describing a vision of community’s desired
future, setting goals, priorities, and taking
action.
Zoning, capital improvements, and subdivision ordinances guide land use
decisions.
Source: T. Wilson and G. Blonde, Lay of the Land
Land Use Education Program, 2002, U. of Wisconsin
Planning is not…

an attempt to replace market forces or stop
growth altogether
–

a magic bullet, or a tool of immediate
change
–

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It is to manage future community development
It is a tool to foster long-term impacts
static or only done once
the same as zoning
Source: T. Wilson and G. Blonde, Lay of the Land
Land Use Education Program, 2002, U. of Wisconsin
Questions behind planning…
Is there something in your community that you
want to:



change?
preserve?
create?
Source: T. Wilson and G. Blonde, Lay of the Land
Land Use Education Program, 2002, U. of Wisconsin
The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development
A good plan can…




Control taxes and preserve or protect:
farmland, private property rights, the
environment, etc.
Guide and promote development
Lead to consistent decision making over time
Most importantly: achieve your desired
“vision” – what you want for the future
Source: T. Wilson and G. Blonde, Lay of the Land
Land Use Education Program, 2002, U. of Wisconsin
Planning involves four basic
questions for the community…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Where is it now?
How did it get there?
Where does it want to be?
How does it get there?
Source: T. Wilson and G. Blonde, Lay of the Land
Land Use Education Program, 2002, U. of Wisconsin
Question: Are communities that plan
more highly “developed”?
4. The smaller the unit of local
government, the greater the
potential local control of land use
and planning... (Stanley Lemback)
But, the fewer the resources available
for planning, and the greater the
staffing problems
Under
home rule, there are thousands of units of
local government (townships, municipalities, etc.)
Local officials often serve on part-time, volunteer
basis; turnover is high
Thus, dealing with complex land use trade-offs can
be a serious challenge in areas with home rule
5. Generally speaking, the nation’s
food supply is at this time not
threatened by land conversion to
new housing development. (Heimlich
and Anderson)
Exceptions…
6. Compared to previous economic
expansions, and given the amount
of population growth during the
last decade, developers are
currently undersupplying new
stocks of housing. (The Northeast Center)
Population growth (mn.)
New housing units (mn.)
New Homes (per 100 popl.)
1970s 1980s 1990s
23.2 22.7 32.7
17.5 14.8 13.3
75
65
41
But these homes are being build on larger lots
Housing affordability is a growing
concern, especially in the Northeast
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Housing affordability is a key measure of
economic well-being
Gentrification is believed to be a growing
problem
As population density rises, housing
affordability tends to decline
Or, in areas with lower density, housing
affordability is higher
7. There is no clear-cut relationship
between land preservation efforts
and the supply of housing.
(Brookings)
We also know little about the
long-term effectiveness of
farmland preservation programs.
(L. Lynch)
8. Conventional cost of community
services studies need to be used
with caution – and they are often
misused.
(T. Kelsey)
Median COCS per dollar of revenue raised
Commercial/Industrial
Farm/Forest
Residential
Source: J. Freedgood, 2002 (AFT)
$0.27
$0.36
$1.15
9. Some individuals claim that
residential development is always
beneficial to a community
because of the increased tax
dollars it brings; others claim
costs of residential development
are always negative because new
school expenses offset any
potential tax benefits.
Neither assertion (stereotype) is in fact
accurate. (T. Kelsey)
10. Property rights are granted to
individuals by the community in
which they reside.
(D. Bromley)
Additional resources


The Future of Agriculture in Your
Community (T. Kelsey, T. Collins, K. Brasier)
GIS and Your Community (O. Tunceli, T. Collins, S.
Goetz)

Extension Land Use Programming Workshop
Proceedings, May 2003
(S. Goetz and T. Kelsey)
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Land Use/Land Cover Mapping Capability
Land Use Web Resources (T. Collins, P. Marshall)