Land Use Management

Summary

Massachusetts is the third most densely populated state in the nation and the rate of land consumption for residential development is steadily increasing, far out of proportion to its population growth.  A recent study by Massachusetts Audubon revealed that in the early 2000s, MA was losing about 40 acres a day of active agricultural, horticultural and forestry land to development. There is a high environmental price to be paid for this heavy consumption of land. Negatively impacted are our water resources, air quality, natural resource-based enterprises, open space, wildlife habitat, and community character. These effects in turn impede long term sustainability and often compel inefficient, reactive capital investment by government.

Planning for growth in ways that are not haphazard, and that provide both positive environmental and social outcomes is challenging, and requires a level of policy vision that has not always been applied to our use of land. The overriding concept for addressing these issues is to employ a comprehensive research, educational and outreach strategy that will bring about improvements at the local, regional and state level, as well as participation by the full network of stakeholders.

Situation and Priorities

Currently in Massachusetts, the state is fragmented into 351 local units (towns and cities) with full governance responsibility, but whose borders were rational ones only prior to the advent of the 20th century. Today, those municipal bounds are obsolete in many ways, in the age of the automobile, digital communications, regional & statewide (and greater) economies and the vast geographic burden of environmental problems. Almost half of the municipalities do not have professional planning staff; their volunteer boards struggle with increasing levels of responsibility, liability and public pressure.

Massachusetts planning, zoning & subdivision statutes are among the most dysfunctional in the nation in terms of their ability to enable effective regional and local planning, protect natural resources and to appropriately direct development to areas already built and served by infrastructure. A uniquely broad set of exemptions within those statutes often makes it difficult for real planning control to be exerted.  In addition, high rate of land consumption and widespread exclusionary zoning have contributed to a housing affordability dilemma in the state; a practice that is perceived in some quarters as being in competition with land and water resource protection.

The policy challenge confronting Massachusetts is how to move communities, the state government, regional agencies, land protection organizations and private landowners, toward initiatives and commitments that are likely to bring about substantial changes in the manner in which Massachusetts develops. The University of Massachusetts Amherst possesses a strong academic and research base for addressing many elements of land use planning. UMass Extension can draw on the research expertise of academic departments and centers and has also built strong collaborative relationships off campus with the professional and municipal planning community, with state planners and legislators, and foundations.

UMass Extension will be addressing the following priorities in Land Use Management over the next five years:

1. Sustainable development - Contributing to the development of more advanced Massachusetts planning philosophies and resultant programs, as well as to improved land use statutes, will be a priority statewide. At the local level, contributing to the improvement of subdivision control regulations, zoning bylaws master plans, and other pertinent regulations, should be important in strategic attempts to rein in haphazard growth. Sometimes this can be achieved by means of clustering towns in a sub-regional approach, possibly in partnership with regional planning agencies and/or private regional organizations. The University and Extension have the expertise and capabilities to bring much needed education, outreach, technical assistance and other forms of direction and help to state government, municipalities, non-profits and educational groups to help address these issues.
2. Natural resource protection - While natural resource protection is an intrinsic aspect of sustainability, the land use planning and environmental communities often see themselves as being separate from one another. Open space, habitat and watershed protection and planning, greenways, and agricultural and forestry protection need to be integrated within all planning approaches. This requires working on the state, regional and local level with regulatory and non-regulatory tools. It also assumes collaboration across different program areas within UMass Extension. Through applied research, special projects and outreach, Extension/NREC is in a strong position to fill this void in the education of stakeholders at every level.
3. Land conservation - Land conservation is paramount in Massachusetts, as the problems associated with land loss are approaching a point where they may become irreversible. Land conservation can be achieved in many ways within compact development patterns or by removing land from development. UMass Extension programs have developed tools for targeted land conservation that effectively preserve biodiversity and maintain ecosystem integrity. This can be partnered with expertise in legal conservation and management tools available to landowners and municipalities. Educational efforts must focus on the public perception that land conservation deprives landowners and communities of value and income.

The following Projects addressed Land Use Management in 2009. Click on "plan" or "report" for additional details.

• Fish, Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation: Plan | Report
  
• Land Protection and Community Preservation: Plan | Report
  
• Citizen Planner Training Collaborative: Plan | Report
  
• Forest Conservation: Plan | Report