The McHarg Center's "The 2100 Project: An Atlas for the Green New Deal" provides a series of maps an infographics to illustrate the way the United States uses land.
Iman Gosh shares a set of maps recently published by the McHarg Center that puts U.S. land use in perspective.
"The '2100 Project: An Atlas for the Green New Deal' provides a snapshot of U.S. land use (as of 2017), aimed at managing resources to support this future," explains Gosh. Here's how the maps break down the country's land use by type:
- Forests (27%)
- Shrubland (24%)
- Agriculture (17%)
- Grasslands and Pasture (17%)
- Wetlands (5%)
- Other (3%)
- Urban Areas (2%)
A few of Gosh's takeaways from the map include the outsized influence of urban areas, the vast footprint of forests, and some specifics about where the country grows its food.
"The U.S. population is set to grow by 100 million more people over the coming decades, raising the pressure on limited U.S. land and natural resources. This pressure will be felt everywhere, from dense urban land to agricultural farmland," concludes Gosh, with a message about the future of land use.
FULL STORY: Mapped: The Anatomy of Land Use in America
Pop Quiz: Can You Identify Cities By Density Alone?
A Planetizen editor failed this quiz.
Mapping the LGBTQ-Friendliness of the World's Cities
A colorful data visualization tool maps information about which cities have the most protections for LGBTQ people in place. The tool is intended as a resource for LGBTQ travelers.
Poverty in the United States Explained
The Brookings Institution has provided a data-driven examination of the subject of poverty in the United States, to provide the kind of policy nuance and detail missing from the 2016 presidential campaign.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association