PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH LAND-USE PLANNING AND TECHNOLOGY

Although the overall rate of population growth has recently decreased in developed countries, population in their cities continues to grow. Urban and suburban sprawl may threaten the environment necessary to sustain livable communities. Farm and forest land and open space are important components of human life. However, they may be lost to residential and commercial development. It has become important to develop land-use regulation mechanisms that accommodate economic growth and preservation of the environment. In the United States, land-use planning systems have been employed for a long period of time. Many US States have enacted laws that protect land from uncontrolled urban sprawl. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to facilitate the process of land-use regulation. The goal of this paper is to discuss how technology-aided sustainable land-use policies are utilized in the USA at a county and city wide scale.