A Land Use Planning Map

Print the Land Use Planning Map onto a transparency for use with the Land Use Lesson.

Background Information

As human need for living space increases, cities and suburb around the world often expand onto lands previously used for agricultural purposes. In many developing nations, park land and natural areas are being encroached upon for agricultural and urban development.

Wherever growth or change occur, people are likely to have varying ideas about how the land base should be used. Some want economic buildup and development. Others want to maintain and preserve what is there. Still others will seek a combination of uses. Whatever elected planning officials decide, the soil bears the brunt of their decision. A change in land use for one area affects not only how that land will be used, but also how nearby land areas will be used.

Good land use planning must consider the capacity of the area’s soil to support the intended uses of that area. In some places, choice agricultural lands are being retained through zoning. Industrial, residential, and commercial development are permitted only on land less suited to agricultural production. This zoning helps ensure a stable, affordable food supply.

Flat, well-drained alluvial soils not subject to frequent flooding are usually very good for agricultural purposes...and for urban development. Building on these soils reduces construction costs, making the construction program more cost effective. But when agriculture is relegated to less well-suited soils, its production costs increase and natural resource problems, such as flooding and soil erosion, may arise.

Planners use soil surveys to acquire information about what uses are best, acceptable, and unsatisfactory for the various soils in their area. Soil surveys include maps made by soil scientists to describe the location and characteristics of thousands of soils in the United States. Published soil surveys are available from local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices.

This transparency illustrates the location of four different soils in relation to slope. Soils have varying characteristics which should be considered when using this transparency. The slope is a contributing factor in soil development, but a limiting factor in some land use planning. Contour lines show the elevation changes that must be considered in the planning process.

Activities

1. Choose five students to represent the local planning board. Assign a group of three to five students to represent each proposed type of land use. Each group will appear before the board to present its case as to why the land (see transparency) should be zoned for that purpose. Some of the land uses might be parks/recreation, housing or other urban uses, and agriculture. There are many other potential uses. Some uses that clearly are not appropriate for the land could be presented to the planning board. Other students can serve as citizens who sit in at the planning board meeting and ask relevant questions. The board must decide which land use plan to accept and explain why it made that selection.
2. Using the soils information and slope conditions (see transparency), make a land use plan. Incorporate some of the following: homes, streets, parks, shopping areas, and/or other land uses.
3. Locate several diverse land uses in your community. Make a map of the area. Identify examples of both good and bad land use and explain each case.
4. Locate several diverse land uses in your community. Describe how the land is being used.
5. Does your community have soils that should not be used for certain types of land uses? How are these soils being used?
6. What relationship does slope have to soil composition and location in your community?

Transparency Information:

Elevation is detailed by contour lines beginning at 700 feet and rising in 25-foot intervals. Soil types are designated by letters (Bp, CeA, , and Rs). Topographic features, rivers, lakes, and forested areas are clearly indicated.

If you encounter any problems with the files provided on this page, please contact Webmaster at 406-587-6945.

This document requires Acrobat Reader.

A Land Use Planning Map Transparency (PDF; 489 KB)

< Back to Land Use Lesson Plan