Economics and Contemporary Land Use Policy Development and Conservation at the Rural-Urban Fringe

As external forces increase the demand for land conversion, communities are increasingly open to policies that encourage conservation of farm and forest lands. This interest in conservation notwithstanding, the consequences of land-use policy and the drivers of land conversions are often unclear. One of the first books to deal exclusively with the economics of rural-urban sprawl, Economics and Contemporary Land-Use Policy explores the causes and consequences of rapidly accelerating land conversions in urban-fringe areas, as well as implications for effective policy responses. This book emphasizes the critical role of both spatial and economic-ecological interactions in contemporary land use, and the importance of a practical, policy-oriented perspective. Chapters illustrate an interaction of conceptual, theoretical, and empirical approaches to land-use policy and highlight advances in policy-oriented economics associated with the conservation and development of urban-fringe land. Issues addressed include (1) the appropriate role of economics in land-use policy, (2) forecasting and management of land conversion, (3) interactions among land use, property values, and local taxes, and (4) relationships among rural amenities, rural character, and urban-fringe land-use policy. Economics and Contemporary Land-Use Policy is a timely and relevant contribution to the land-use policy debate and will prove an essential reference for policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels. It will also be of interest to students, academics, and anyone with an interest in the practical application of economics to land-use issues.

Introduction: Economics and Contemporary Land Use Policy -- Robert J. Johnston and Stephen K. Swallow PART I: Economic Approaches to Land Use Policy Land, Economic Change, and Economic Doctrine -- Emery N. Castle Property Rights and Land Use Conflicts: Reconciling Myth and Reality - Daniel W. Bromley PART II: Explaining Land Use Conversion: Spatial Perspectives Forecasting Residential Land Use Change -- Elena G. Irwin, Kathleen P. Bell, and Jacqueline Geoghegan Forecasting Development at the Suburban Fringe -- Joshua Templeton, Diane Hite, and Brent Sohngen Describing Land Use Change in Multidisciplinary Analyses -- Jeffrey D. Kline Critical Mass: Does the Number of Productive Farmland Acres or Farms Affect Farmland Loss? -- Lori Lynch PART III: Land Conservation: Implications for Value and Taxation Are Agricultural Land Preservation Programs Self-Financing? -- Jacqueline Geoghegan, Lori Lynch, and Shawn J. Bucholtz Land Development and Current Use Assessment - Richard W. England and Robert D. Mohr Alternative Valuation Strategies for Public Open-Space Purchases: Stated versus Market Evidence -- John Loomis, Andrew F. Seidl, Kerri L. Rollins and Vicki Rameker PART IV: Rural Amenities and Landscape Conservation A Multifunctional Approach to Northeastern Agriculture -- Sandra S. Batie Farmland Preservation Programs and the Importance of Rural Amenities --Cynthia J. Nickerson and Daniel M. Hellerstein Support for Conservation Policies and Values for Conservation: Are They Related? -- Robert J. Johnston, Stephen K. Swallow, Dana Marie Bauer, and Lisa D. Philo Integrating Biophysical and Economic Information to Guide Land Conservation Investments -- Paul J. Ferraro PART V: Conclusion Economics and Land Use Policy: Where Do We Go from Here? -- Robert J. Johnston

Robert J. Johnston is an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and associate director of the Connecticut Sea Grant College Program, both at the University of Connecticut. Stephen K. Swallow is a professor in the Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at the University of Rhode Island.