Land

Chapter 14, section 1&2How We Use Land

Background• California, 1984-1992

(8 yrs), nearly 210,000 acres of rural land had been converted into urban land

• This is happening all over the world

Land Use and Land Cover

• Land cover - what is found on the land (ex. forest, parking lot)

• Urban land – when land cover is mostly buildings and roads

• Urban area –contains 2,500 or more people and usually has a governing body

• Anything else= rural- few people and large areas of open space

• Most land contains resources humans consume

Primary Land-Use Categories

Land cover type Human use of land

Rangeland Used to graze livestock & wildlife

Forest land For harvesting wood, wildlife, fish, nuts, other resources

Cropland Grow plants for food and fiber

Parks and Preserves Recreation, scenic enjoyment; preserve native species & ecosystems

Wetlands, mountains, deserts, and other

Difficult to use for human purposes

Urban land For houses, businesses, industry, roads

Land Use in the U.S.

Parks & preserves 13%

Urban land 6%

Other 7%

Forest land 28%

Rangeland & pasture 26%

Cropland 20%

Where We Live• Until about 1850, most lived in rural areas• Industrial Revolution changed this• Machinery made it possible for fewer people

to operate a farm or mill• Transportation – could live further away• Jobs were in the cities; urban areas grew

rapidly– Occurred 1880-1950 in developed countries – Currently occurring in developing

Population Living in Urban & Rural Land

Proportion of People Living in Urban/ Rural Areas

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Africa Asia Europe SouthAmerica

NorthAmerica

Oceania

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UrbanRural

The Urban-Rural Connection• People - dependent on

resources from rural areas (ex. clean water, fertile soil, trees)

• Ecosystem services – resources produced by natural and artificial ecosystems

Supporting Urban Areas• Many factors determine the area of rural land

to support one person (ex. climate, standard of living)

• Developed country – avg. person uses ecosystem services from 8 hectares of land and water– Hectare = about 2.6 acres

• U.S. – 12 hectares, Germany – 6 hectares• Developing – could be less than 1 hectare

Urban Land Use

• Urbanization = movement of people from rural to cities

• Rapid urban growth = problems (urban crisis)• Can overwhelm the infrastructure = all things a

society builds for public use• X. roads, sewers, railroads, police and fire

stations, schools, hospitals, etc.• Urban sprawl = rapid urban growth into rural

areas around the urban area– i.e. suburbs

Urbanization

• Cities w/ little room to grow, burbs built on marginal land = land poorly suited for building– X. eroding coastline

• City center trap more heat, different weather patterns

• heat islands = increased city temps• Caused by roads, buildings

Urban Planning

• Land Use Planning = determining in advance how land will be used

• Where houses, business, factories, etc. will be built

• GIS = Geographic informational system• Computerized system for mapping, storing,

viewing, and manipulating

GIS Screen Image

Urban Planning Transportation & Open Space

• Open Space – land set aside for scenic & recreation

• X. public gardens, bike & hiking trails

• Greenbelts = open spaces left in natural condition

• Traffic!!• Problem – most cities built

before cars• Mass Transit = buses, trains,

subways• Save energy, reduce

highway congestion, reduce air pollution