Land use 56309 225804881 2008-07-15T14:10:23Z Fieldday-sunday 6803532 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/122.162.70.218|122.162.70.218]] to last version by Bobo192 (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{Globalize}} :'''Land use' is also often used to refer to the distinct land use types in [[Zoning]].'' '''Land use''' is the human modification of [[natural environment]] or [[wilderness]] into [[built environment]] such as fields, pastures, and settlements. The major effect of land use on [[land cover]] since [[1750]] has been [[deforestation]] of [[temperate region]]s.<ref>[http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/Report/AR4WG1_Pub_Ch02.pdf Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]</ref> More recent significant effects of land use include [[urban sprawl]], [[soil erosion]], [[soil degradation]], [[salinization]], and [[desertification]].<ref>[http://unstats.un.org/unsd/ENVIRONMENT/envpdf/landdatafinal.pdf UN Land Degradation and Land Use/Cover Data Sources] ret. 26 June 2007</ref> Land-use change, together with use of [[fossil fuel]]s, are the major [[anthropogenic]] sources of carbon dioxide, a dominant [[greenhouse gas]].<ref>[http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf UN Report on Climate Change] retrieved 25 June 2007</ref> It has also been defined as "the total of arrangements, activities, and inputs that people undertake in a certain land cover type" (FAO, 1997a; FAO/UNEP, 1999). <ref>[http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc/land_use/045.htm IPCC Special Report on Land Use, Land-Use Change And Forestry, 2.2.1.1 Land Use]</ref> ==Municipal land use== Villages, cities, towns, boroughs, townships and counties are all governed by a set of designations assigned to particular parcels of land. Each designation, known as a parcel’s [[zoning]], comes with a list of approved uses that can legally operate on the zoned parcel. These are found in a government’s ordinances or [[zoning regulations]]. == Land use and the environment == Land use and land management practices have a major impact on [[natural resources]] including [[water]], [[soil]], [[nutrient]]s, [[plant]]s and [[animal]]s. Land use information can be used to develop solutions for natural resource management issues such as salinity and [[water quality]]. For instance, water bodies in a region that has been deforested or having erosion will have different water quality than those in areas that are [[forest]]ed. According to a report by the [[United Nations]]' [[Food and Agriculture Organisation]], land degradation has been exacerbated where there has been an absence of any land use planning, or of its orderly execution, or the existence of financial or legal incentives that have led to the wrong land use decisions, or one-sided central planning leading to over-utilization of the land resources - for instance for immediate production at all costs. As a consequence the result has often been misery for large segments of the local population and destruction of valuable [[ecosystem]]s. Such narrow approaches should be replaced by a technique for the planning and management of land resources that is integrated and holistic and where land users are central. This will ensure the long-term quality of the land for human use, the prevention or resolution of social conflicts related to land use, and the conservation of ecosystems of high [[biodiversity]] value === United States=== In the US, every legal activity must have its place in [[municipal]] and [[county]] [[zoning law]]s. Meaning if an adult entertainment facility can legally operate in a given jurisdiction, then the zoning laws must offer a proper and by-right zone for that business to operate within. With this example in mind, one can guess that choosing zoning wisely can make or break a city’s image and inevitably its ability to attract more favorable business and industry. To regulate what can be built where, cities create [[comprehensive plans]] and [[zoning ordinances]] to create an order to the potential uses of land within their political boundaries. A municipality will spend thousands if not hundreds of thousands of [[dollar]]s to determine where best to encourage [[industrial growth]], allow residential building and permit commercial activity. These decisions have dramatic impacts on land values, safety and community interests. With so much at stake, the process of determining what can be built where has become extremely politicized. Today active community groups wield much strength in the public land use approval process. Informed residents know the potential impacts of a large [[big box]] coming to their neighborhood or the opening of a quarry a mile down the road. When involved they shape the process and are more likely now than ever to actually impact the process. Politics plays a big part in the approval process. But the reality is that mostly developers create the rules. In the absence of opposition, a developer can change the real estate landscape for years to come by successfully rezoning one large parcel in area. Where there is opposition, today’s developers have to take heed and listen to their demands. With financial stakes so high for developers and residents and the approval process being susceptible to public pressure and politics, it is no surprise that there is now a subset of political culture known as land use politics. Patterns of land use arise naturally in a culture through customs and practices, but land use may also be formally regulated by [[land use planning]] through [[zoning]] and [[planning permission]] laws, or by private agreements such as [[restrictive covenant]]s. For example, the setting aside of wilderness either publicly as a [[Wilderness Area]] or privately as a [[conservation easement]]. ==See also== * [[Industrial (disambiguation)]] * [[Building setback]] * [[Easement]] * [[Land Allocation Decision Support System]] * [[Land cover]] * [[Land use forecasting]] * [[Land use, land-use change and forestry]] * [[Planning]] * [[Traffic]] * [[Urbanization]] * [[Variance (land use)]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://web1.msue.msu.edu/wexford/LU/index.html Schindler's Land Use Page] (Michigan State University Extension Land Use Team) *[http://www.landpolicy.msu.edu/index.html Land Policy Insitute at Michigan State University] [[Category:Land use| ]] [[Category:Land management]] [[Category:Urban studies and planning]] [[Category:Regional science]] [[de:Flächenverbrauch]] [[es:uso de la tierra]] [[id:Penggunaan tanah]] [[ja:土地利用]] [[pt:uso da terra]]