The Center for Applied GIS and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute collaborate to forecast the impacts of urban growth on natural and rural lands in the greater Charlotte area

The rapid expansion of development in and around Charlotte over the last 30 years has encroached on the piedmont's legendary forests and rich farmlands, fundamentally changing the landscape and threatening regional character.  Booming population growth suggests this trend will continue into the immediate future furthering congestion and the loss of open space.

The Open Space Protection Collaborative (OSPC), led by the Catawba Lands Conservancy, has commissioned the Center for Applied GIS and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute to study and forecast the future impacts of urban growth on natural and rural lands in the greater Charlotte area. The OSPC, a partnership of five area land trusts and one national conservation organization, is funded through the generous support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.

The Center used satellite images to track the advance of impervious surfaces, a key indicator of development, in their expansion across the area since 1976.  Extending those trends into the future, the Center estimated the extent of urbanization through 2030.  Impact analysis focused on losses of natural and agricultural areas, county-wide assessments of loss, and effects of forest loss on regional air and water quality.  Results of the study will heighten community awareness of the consequences of unmanaged development, and provide important information to guide land planners in management decision.