Why is land use planning essential? (LONG ANSWER)
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Answer:
As population and human aspirations increase, land becomes an increasingly scarce resource, calling for land-use planning. Land-use planning is important to mitigate the negative effects of land use and to enhance the efficient use of resources with minimal impact on future generations.
Land-use planning is defined as a systematic assessment of land and water potential, alternatives for land use, and the economic and social conditions
Land-use planning can help coordinate various land uses in a watershed, thereby minimizing conflicts and sustaining water quantity and quality for future generations. This schematic represents typical land uses and conservation strategies that might be found in a coastal mountain watershed.
Land-use planning can help coordinate various land uses in a watershed, thereby minimizing conflicts and sustaining water quantity and quality for future generations. This schematic represents typical land uses and conservation strategies that might be found in a coastal mountain watershed.
required to select and adopt the best land-use options. The main objective of this planning process is to allocate land uses to meet the needs of people while safeguarding future resources.
The planning process is iterative (cyclically repetitive) and continuous, and three goals are used to develop a plan: efficiency, equity, and sustainability. Efficiency in land use is achieved by matching different land use with areas that will yield the greatest benefit at the least cost. Equity in land use focuses on reducing inequalities in income, food security, and housing. Sustainable land use meets the needs of the present while conserving resources for future generations.
Land-use planning aims at achieving a balance among these goals through the use of information on trade-offs, appropriate technology, and consensus-based decision-making. Effective land-use planning often involves local communities, scientific information on land resources, appropriate technologies, and integrated evaluation of resource use.
Land-use planning is essential because to mitigate the negative effects of land use and to enhance the efficient use of resources with minimal impact on future generations. Equity in land use focuses on reducing inequalities in income, food security, and housing.
Natural vegetation, such as forest cover, is usually the most benign of land uses, with higher infiltration and reduced runoff rates. The opposites of forest cover are urbanized areas, where large surface areas are impermeable, and pipes and sewer networks augment the natural channels. The impervious surfaces in urban areas reduce infiltration and can reduce the recharge of groundwater. In addition, urban runoff contributes to poor water quality.