LAND USE
Whether in urban, rural, or natural settings, the way land is used and managed has major effects on natural resources and the environment. These impacts can include damaged ecosystems, soil erosion and degradation, and the loss of open space and farmland on the urban fringe.
Research at RFF examines land use and land management in all these contexts. In natural and agricultural areas RFF researchers have examined issues ranging from tree cover loss in shade coffee areas of Mexico and El Salvador to wetlands policy in the United States. Research on urban sprawl includes evaluation of transferable development rights (TDRs) a market-based mechanism designed to preserve open space, the linkages between transportation policy and land use policy, and policies to promote density and limit growth on the outskirts of urban areas.