Land Use Planning in Oregon, USA: Lessons for Managing Scarce Land Resources

Abstract

Land is a limited and scarce resource. The growth of urban populations and expansion of urban fringes into the adjoining non-urban land has the effect of decreasing the land available for alternative, non-urban economic, social and environmental uses, activities and values. How to manage the competing demands for land is becoming an increasingly prominent issue. Oregon, USA, has been managing this issue through Urban Growth Boundaries for nearly 40 years. This paper examines the Oregon land use system and considers the implications for wider adoption of these principles for developing a more balanced approach to urban growth and land use.