Individual Counties - ANIMATION
(for static maps click here)
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 Catawba
Land Conservancy, acting in conjunction with the Open Space Protection
Collaborative, has granted an award to the Center for Applied GIS and the
Urban Institute to study and forecast future impacts of urban growth on
natural and rural lands in the greater Charlotte area.
The Center
will use 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 will estimate the extent
of urbanization through 2030. Impact analysis will focus 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.
