New research shows high land conversion (development) rates
Development in the greater Charlotte region has increased over 850% between 1976 and 2006, according to researchers at UNC Charlotte. The study of 24 Piedmont counties estimated that 105 acres of natural and rural lands were converted to development per day during the period. At current trends the study forecasts 2.2 million acres developed by 2030, or 30% of the region’s landscape. Metropolitan counties developed faster than the region as a whole, with Mecklenburg expected to convert all unprotected lands within 25 years.
A new study of urban growth will be released March 25 by the Renaissance Computer Institute at UNC Charlotte (a collaboration of the University’s Center for Applied Geographic Information Science, the Charlotte Visualization Center and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute) and the Open Space Protection Collaborative. The study produced maps from historical satellite imagery to track development patterns in the Carolinas Piedmont over a 30 year period. Development trends were then projected through 2030 to forecast conversions of natural and rural lands to development throughout the region.
“This is a real eye-opener, and for the first time, presents clearly our area’s rapid land consumption rates,” said Dave Cable, Executive Director of The Catawba Lands Conservancy. “Those of us in the business of preserving our natural landscapes as a balance to healthy growth in such a vital region will find this indispensable, and we are looking forward to sharing this new data with our partners across the region. Our hope is that this tool will also compel people to action to balance growth with thoughtful conservation.”
Cable leads the 24-county Open Space Protection Collaborative (OSPC) a group of six regional land preservation organizations, who commissioned the research through grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. He says the maps will be offered to government planners,developers and elected officials across the counties in both NC and SC as they work together to plan for more balanced growth.
CD’s containing the entire mapping model will be available to the news media at a briefing Tuesday. Researchers from UNCC’s Urban Institute and the recently established Renaissance Computing Institute will demonstrate the software and answer questions about how the research was conducted.