For Classroom Discussion: United States Land Use Issues and Resources

When approaching US Geography, students must consider land use and US resources. These issues are constantly in the news, whether it be an eminent domain issue or a debated use of a resource such as oil, timber, water or farmland.

Students may even have their own geography related stories such as the use of a local easement on their walk to school. It may be a good idea to have every student in class bring in their own land use story from their own experiences or from the news to share and discuss with the class. Alternatively, divide the topics, assign one to each student and have them find current information related to that topic.

When covering this subject in class, consider the following major points:

US Land Area

The US includes 2.1 Billion Acres

Topics to discuss:

• Population densities
• Population distribution
• Land ownership status
• Distribution of resources
• Protected lands, such as National Forests

Classes of Land Use

Including

• Crop Land
• Grazing Land
• Forest Land

• Wetlands

  Topics to discuss:

• Economics and productivity of each class
• Land use changes through the years
• Ownership land use issues
• Environmental impact, including farming and grazing practices

Human Use Land

Including

• Recreation Land
• Urban Areas
• Transportation

Topics to discuss:

• Distribution, urban vs. suburbs vs. non–urban areas
• Environmental impacts, including pollution and affected wild life
• Municipal infrastructures, such as solid waste, waste water management
• Traffic, mass transportation, impact of transportation choices, walk able communities
• Zoning issues
• Public Policy
• Sustainability

To find US Land Use information see:

• United States Department of Agriculture at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome
• Bureau of Land Management at http://www.blm.gov/nhp/index.htm
• Demographia, Land Use in the United States at http://www.demographia.com/dbx-landstate.htm
• US Census Bureau at http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en
• Smart Growth Online at http://www.smartgrowth.org/Default.asp?res=1280
• The Library of Congress, Cities and Towns at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/cityhome.html
• ePodunk at http://www.epodunk.com/

Resources

Platt, R. (1996). Land Use and Society. Washington DC, Covelo, CA: Island Press.