Land Use Planning (c)(7)(a)

When you look around our school, how are we using the land? We may be using it for crops, homes, businesses, or green space. Before we build, we should plan for the best use of the land. Today we will: – Identify major categories of land use – Evaluate considerations for land use planning, including ecological benefits – Discuss advantages and disadvantages of land use planning in general and in energy production – Compare and contrast land use policy trends within the state

Major Categories of Land Use There are generally six major land use categories used when zoning land areas: Residential Agricultural Commercial Industrial Institutional Recreational

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Land Use Categories – According to the USDA, land is classified into the following: – Cropland – Rangeland – Forest Land – Other Rural Land – Developed Land – Water Areas USDA NRCS:

Think about where you live. What would be the impacts on your environment (water, land, animals) if the following were built? Residential-building homes Agricultural-crops, rangeland Commercial-businesses Industrial-energy plants Institutional-school or hospital Recreational-parks or hunting areas

Ecological Benefits When planning for land use, we should consider the Ecological Benefits. Ecological benefits occur when the environment is improved.

Considering Ecological Benefits When you plan for each of the following, how is our environment impacted positively or negatively? Residential-building homes Agricultural-crops, rangeland Commercial-businesses Industrial-energy plants Institutional-school or hospital Recreational-parks or hunting areas

Advantages and Disadvantages Brainstorm the advantages of land use planning Now consider the disadvantages to NOT planning

Poor planning can result in what some would call a Concrete Jungle….. Taken From:

A Master Planned Community is one where every aspect is planned before building occurs. Taken From:

Land Use Planning & Energy Production Decisions affecting land use directly affect energy use and the consequent production of greenhouse gases, primarily because of the strong relationship between where we live and work and our transportation needs. The body of research on the impact of land use on energy and climate is receiving significantly more attention with the growing interest in climate change. This impact policy in states—laws are passed to ensure that we consider opportunities and barriers to integrated energy and land use planning.

Activity… Plan your own community If you were given a large, open area of land near where you live, what would you plan? Be sure to plan for all the categories we discussed keeping in mind the ecological benefits.

Summary & Evaluation – Identify major categories of land use – Evaluate considerations for land use planning, including ecological benefits – Discuss advantages and disadvantages of land use planning in general and in energy production – Compare and contrast land use policy trends within the state

References The Edwards Aquifer Website: Energy, Climate Change and Our Environment: american-energy american-energy The World Preservation Foundation: Natural Resources Defense Council:

Developed by the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communications, Texas A&M University for the Texas Education Agency, Educational Excellence Project for AFNR ©Texas Education Agency, 2014