Geography 4742 Land Use

Geography 4742 Land Use Geography 4742 Land Use

Lecture Notes

Jan 14-16

Introduction: Land Use in Geographical Analysis

Platt Chap. 1.

What are land and land resources?

Physical stuff, soil, vegetation, habitat

Place (social and cultural values attached to land)

Territory (usually define by the state, but also less formal).

Real estate:: "Space enclosing uses"
Owenrship/capital value: Bundle of rights and obligations; How Much Land, in what uses, in U.S.?; 2.1 b acres (7.5 ac/person; 1/ac in CT; 1/64 ac in ND)

Classification (this was the original main goal and content of land use analysis)

Cropland, grazing, pasture, forest, urban, built-up; residential, commercial, industrial, infrstructure, etc.

A brief run thru Platt’s stats for the US.

Classification schemes still problematic: e.g., US Forest Service classifies clear cuts as forest land, though at this moment they may not be "timber land" or in a forest cover.

Relationship b/w LAND USE and LAND COVER; much overlap and ambiguity, e.g., farmland w/o crops.

Geographers involved in IGBP land use and Cover Change program.