Between 2002 and 2010, developed lands in Maryland increased by 8.4 percent, or 128,650 acres. That was- twice the rate of population, which increased 4.8 percent, or 259,600 persons, according to analysis in the State’s new Land Use/Land Cover map.
The Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) today released the latest version of the Land Use/Land Cover map, which classifies Maryland into 13 distinct types of land use (such as lowto high-density residential, commercial and industrial) and land cover (such as agriculture and forest).
This is the first revision of the Land Use/Land Cover map since 2002, aided by technical enhancements that provide a more accurate analysis of land-use change. Data came from a combination of aerial photography and parcel data from MdProperty View, an interactive database of all property and parcels in the State. Local jurisdictions reviewed the updated dataset
and their comments were incorporated into the final Land Use/Land Cover map.
Governor O’Malley will unveil the updated Land Use/Land Cover map Friday afternoon at the Maryland Association of Counties summer conference in his presentation on PlanMaryland, the State Growth Plan now in development. MDP is receiving public comment on the plan draft until September 1 in preparation to present the plan to the governor in October.
“The need for a State Growth Plan is made evident by the latest analysis,” said Richard E. Hall, Maryland Secretary of Planning. “The data shows that Maryland has now developed more than 1.6 million acres, or about 27 percent of the total land area, in total. That is more than double the 654,000-acres surveyed in 1973, which constituted about 11 percent of the state’s land area. We need to address this issue to ensure the protection of our land, farms, water, air quality, our prosperity as a State and our quality of life.”
MDP, other state agencies and public and private stakeholders use the map to monitor trends in land development and consumption of resource land. The agency created the first Land Use/Land Cover map in 1973 and updated it in 2002 before this most current revision. The latest version also revealed that the amount of developed land per person (land for homes, employment,
restaurants, stores, schools, hospitals, houses of worship and other public spaces) totaled about 0.29 acres in 2010. That was 84 percent more than the 0.16 acres recorded in 1973.
Further findings and an interactive Land Use/Land Cover map can be found at
https://planning.maryland.gov/OurWork/landuse.shtml.
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