US Land Breakdown – and you thought we have urban sprawl!

Developed Land- Despite all the hand wringing over sprawl and urbanization, only 66 million acres are considered developed lands. This amounts to 3 percent of the land area in the U.S., yet this small land base is home to 75 percent of the population. Furthermore, urbanized lands, once converted, usually do not shift to another use.

Rural Residential Land-This category comprises nearly all sprawl and subdivisions along with farmhouses scattered across the country. The total acreage for rural residential is 73 million acres. Of this total, 44 million acres are lots of 10 or more acres.
Developed and rural residential make up 139 million acres or 6.1 percent of total land area in the U.S. This amount of land is not insignificant until you consider that we planted more than 80 million acres of feeder corn and another 75 million acres of soybeans (95 percent of which are consumed by livestock) last year alone. These two crops affect more of the land area of the U.S. than all the urbanization, rural residential, highways, railroads, commercial centers, malls, industrial parks and golf courses combined. (Internet source)
The notion that we have “urban sprawl” is a misleading representation of development patterns. 

I will agree that there are instances were development will leap frog over land areas but there are many reasons:

            1. seller does not want to sell

            2. seller wants to sell but the price is too high

            3. no public water and sewer available

            4. site constraints limits the buildable area

            5. government zoning / political problems

            6. lack of infrastructure to support new development

            7. parcels of land are too small or strange property line configurations

            8. endangered species…………………. on and on!

I always thought that urban sprawl was due to below market land prices or the probability of rezoning for value. I am convinced now that “urban sprawl” is a misconception just as “global warming” is.

We are growing approximately 3,000,000 people a year and the American Dream of owning a single family home on your own land remains a priority for most Americans regardless of what the experts predict. We are not experiencing “sprawl” but reaching for the American dream.

Local zoning departments, regional agencies like the Pinelands in New Jersey and the USEPA regulate land on a daily basis. Have you ever thought that maybe regulations force development patterns rather than the market and it is then labeled as “sprawl”?

What is the intent --- for all of us to ride bicycles and live in an urban environment? If so, why not have another “Trail of Tears” to Detroit?