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ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY UPDATE ARTICLES
DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES -
THEY'RE NOT MAKING ANY MORE LAND
by Gary Brown
Expanding population and resulting suburban
sprawl are placing more and more pressure on our land resources. Government is
reluctant to keep expanding our roadway and utility infrastructure to support
more sprawl, as roadways only recently built become more and more clogged at
rush hour. "Greenfields" commercial and industrial land has all but
disappeared from large sections of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. What does the
future hold?
Global Perspective
We in American have a unique constitutional
right to develop land we own. Throughout most of the world, central government
has the right to control development through central planning. Our population
continues to grow, but infrastructure funding increasingly isn't keeping up with
development induced needs. Many industrialized countries add gasoline taxes to
help build infrastructures, and subsidize non-roadway transportation. In a
recent poll, a majority of Americans would surprisingly support such initiatives
here.
Pressure on Wetlands
One of the biggest current pressures suburban
sprawl and development causes is on wetlands. Many remaining underdeveloped
parcels near urban areas are not developed because they contain wetlands. Recent
trends in planning include options to "cluster" developments on
residential land, allowing smaller lot sizes in exchange for preserving wetlands
at a site and in leaving a buffer zone for enhanced wetlands protection.
Future Trends
Among the biggest developments in recent years
to help address the suburban sprawl issue are Brownfields and Land Recycling
issues. As these programs continue to expand, look for more and more Brownfields
and Land Recycling projects in the coming years. Reuse of urban land helps ease
suburban sprawl. Realistic environmental cleanup objectives in combination with
the availability of good remedial technology means that more and more
contaminated sites an actually be converted to residential use, affording
highest and best use of the land.
These programs will particularly help in
riverfront and harbor areas, as many U.S. cities are seeing a return to interest
in the original reason for the city's being - the waterfront. Many waterfront
areas used to be industrial sites, so the initiatives are promoting reuse of
what can now become valuable property. Many of America's cities are now
beginning to see the fruits of these initiatives as they revive their links to
their water commerce past through Brownfields and Land Recycling initiatives.
We at RT are proud to have been chosen to be a
part of so many Brownfields and Land Recycling projects. From the Philadelphia
riverfront to Newark to Pittsburgh., we've been able to help commercial and
industrial sites find a new life. The latest trend - upgrading to residential
reuse through the implementation of sound remedial technology proves that we're
moving into a new era in smart reuse of our land.
January/February 1998 | 
