Farmland Preservation Programs: Another Tool for Managing Urban Growth?
Amber Waves, April 2007
4 Pages Posted: 25 Feb 2016
Date Written: April 1, 2007
Abstract
On average, 2.2 million acres of farmland per year were converted to urban uses between 1992 and 2001. Every State has enacted measures that help protect farmland, but most measures do not preserve farmland permanently. Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs, is increasingly popular. Little is known about the effects of PDR programs on development patterns in the long run.It may be more realistic to view even PDR programs as tools to help local jurisdictions manage growth and guide development away from farmland with desirable characteristics, rather than as a panacea for stopping urban sprawl.
Keywords: farmland protection, urban sprawl, purchase of development rights
JEL Classification: Q18, Q24
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation