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Historic Land Use
Land use patterns are a basic feature in community planning. The community
needs to identify past and present land use patterns, how development
has occurred, and the policies that are in place to control and guide
future land use decisions. Environmental and natural features which will
influence growth and development in the community or contribute to the
overall quality of life should also be inventoried and mapped.
Inventorying and Information Gathering
The natural resources information sources listed below are tools that are designed to assist communities gather pertinent information to answer the question "Where Are We Now?" and to develop a Community Profile. Each of these sources contains a description of the resource, what information is available and where to find that information.
Existing Land Use Mapping
Past Land Use Practices
Identification of Large Tracts of Vacant Land and Identification of Current Plans
Inventory Regulatory and Policy Issues in the Community That Control and Guide Land Use Decisions
Existing Land Use Mapping
Existing land use maps provide a picture of current development patterns and also serve as a basis for developing future land use plans. If existing land use maps are not available, they may be derived from land cover maps, aerial photography and/or windshield surveys. Land use and associated maps can be obtained from a variety of sources, as presented below.
Available Information
- Land use maps
- Land cover maps
- Aerial photography
- Project specific land use maps
- Comprehensive plans
Information Sources
- Local planning departments/commissions
- County planning departments/commissions
- Regional Planning Departments/Commissions
- State Planning Agencies
- State Environmental Agencies
- Other State Agencies (ie., Transportation)
- U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Natural Resources Conservation Service, Natural Resources Inventory
- Economic Research Service, Major Land Uses Dataset
- Local or State Universities and Colleges
- U.S. Census Bureau
- University of Austin,
Perry Costaneda Library Map Resources
- Local
Government Commission: Participatory Land Use Mapping
Past Land Use Practices
Identifying past land use practices can help to provide an historical perspective to land use decisions. From this review of past development practices, development trends or patterns may be identified to help project future development patterns.
Available Information
- Historical Land Use Maps
- Historical Land Cover Maps
- Historical Aerial Photography
- Historical Project Specific Land Use Maps
- Historical Atlases
- Comprehensive Plans
Information Sources
- Local Planning Departments/Commissions
- Local Libraries
- Local Historical Societies/Museums
- County Planning Departments/Commissions
- Country Historical Societies/Museums
- Regional Planning Departments/Commissions
- State Planning Agencies
- State Environmental Agencies (ie., Natural Resources or Environmental Protection)
- State Museums/Historical Commissions
- Other State Agencies (ie., Transportation)
- U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, NRCS
- Local or State Universities and Colleges
- Private Aerial Photography Companies
- Private Historical Mapping Companies
Identification of Large Tracts of Vacant Land and Identification of Current Plans
The identification of large tracts of vacant land establishes the location and amount of land available for future development. In some cases, plans for future development may already be underway. The identification of current plans for vacant or underdeveloped land can help to determine what lands are already committed to development.
Available Information
- Existing Land Use Maps
- Existing Land Cover Maps
- Existing Aerial Photography
- Comprehensive Plans
- Site Development Plans
- Infrastructure improvement and/or relocation plans
Information Sources
- Local Planning Departments/Commissions
- Local Industrial/Economic Development Authorities/Commissions
- County Planning Departments/Commissions
- County Industrial/Economic Development Authorities/Commissions
- Regional Planning Departments/Commissions
- Land Trusts and Land Conservancies
- State Planning Agencies
- State Environmental Agencies
- Other State Agencies (ie., Transportation)
- U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
- Local or State Universities and Colleges
Inventory Regulatory and Policy Issues in the Community That Control and Guide Land Use Decisions
A review of your community's regulations and policies will help identify those key forces at work within the community that control and guide land use decisions. Applicable policies and regulations will include such things as zoning ordinances, subdivision and land development ordinances, comprehensive plans, design standards, and industrial/economic development/recovery plans. While most of these will be found at the local and county levels of government, some may be found at the state level.
Available Information
- Local Zoning Ordinances
- Local Subdivision and Land Development Ordinances
- Local Comprehensive Plans
- Local Design Standards
- Local Industrial/Economic Development/Recovery Plans
- County Zoning Ordinances
- County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinances
- County Comprehensive Plans
- County Industrial/Economic Development/Recovery Plans
- State Planning Regulations
- State Planning Guidelines and Policies
Information Sources
- Local/County/Regional Planning Departments/Commissions
- Libraries
- Local/County Historical Societies/Museums
- Local/County/Regional Economic Development Authorities/Commissions
- State Planning Agencies
- State Regulatory Agencies
- Smart
Communities Network, Land Use Planning, Codes and Ordinances
- Lincoln Institute of Land Use Policy