MEASUREMENT OF 40 YEARS OF LAND USE CHANGE IN HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA AND THE POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER CHANGE AS INDICATED BY RURAL LANDOWNER ATTITUDES AND CHARACTERISTICS (POPULATION, LESA, IMPERMANENCE SYNDROME)
Abstract
The effects of continued urbanization on a rural Indiana county with a high percentage of prime farmland were examined in this study. The prospects of leaving the future growth of the county to the market place or of directing it more formally through countywide land use planning were explored using the Land Evaluation and Site Assessment Program (LESA), a Soil Conservation Service planning model, and a survey of rural landowner characteristics and attitudes toward the future of their land. Hamilton County, Indiana, a county adjacent to Indianapolis, was selected for analysis. Its past population changes (1900-1980) and land use changes (1940-1980) were examined along with projected changes to the year 2000. Significant population changes began in the rural areas in the 1950s with major rural non-farm residence increases in the 1960s and major subdivision growth in the 1970s. Urbanization of the rural areas is projected to continue to increase substantially but at a somewhat decreased rate to the year 2000. While a LESA analysis, developed for this study as a potential tool to aid countywide planning, showed promise, it also showed group response inconsistencies in the Site Analysis (SA). Specific problems in the SAs are cited, as well as, suggestions for their remedy prior to full scale implementation of the LESA at the local level. Testing, thus, should be a preliminary requirement before using LESA locally. Analysis of personal, location, and point-of-reference characteristics of a random sample of rural landowners showed little relationship with the attitudes held toward their land and its future. Thus, an attempt to confirm the presence of the impermanence syndrome using these characteristics was unsuccessful. This indicated that rational economic reasoning may not be the determining factor in the fate of the land in this area. It suggested that directed countywide planning may be an alternative to be seriously considered if the protection of a significant amount of prime farmland is important of this county. Finally, certain land related attitudes were shown to be better predictors of other land related attitudes. But the origin of these land attitudes was undetermined.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Agronomy
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