Impact Methodologies

Land Development Patterns

Overview

The term "land development" refers to the conversion of land for the purposes of residential, commercial, industrial, or other activities. Land development can be described by the amount of land by type of use in an area, as well as the characteristics of the development (e.g., residential density).

Land development is an intermediate impact that results in a variety of other impacts on the physical environment. These impacts can potentially include the loss of sensitive habitats and wetlands; degradation of water quality due to increased runoff, pollutants in runoff, and lessened groundwater recharge; destruction of historic or archeological sites; and the loss of recreational and open space. Land development is also associated with a demand for travel to and from the developed site, which in turn affects the transportation system.

In the analysis framework presented here, land development is driven by two primary factors:

1. Accessibility, which is determined by the characteristics and performance of the transportation system, in conjunction with the spatial patterns of existing development in the region. Land development can be induced by the construction or improvement of transportation facilities and services, which provide access to the land and therefore make it valuable for human use.

2. Land use policies, such as zoning regulations and tax policies, which provide constraints or incentives for different types of development.

Many other factors, especially economic forces, also influence land development patterns. While some of the forecasting methods address these factors as well, they are not as readily or directly influenced by public policy as are transportation investments and land regulation.

Methods for forecasting land development are covered in greater depth in other documents (see General References). They are reviewed briefly within this framework, however, because of the importance of land development as a driver of other impacts of interest, especially physical environmental impacts.

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