Land Use as an Explicit Process: a Study of Structural and Functional Change.

This study examines land-use change as an explicit process. A conceptual framework is developed from philosophical and geographical perspectives. Within this scheme, land-use change encompasses two basic aspects: (1) a functional dimension depicted by economic activities, and (2) a structural dimension represented by site locations. Land-use change is interpreted as a shift in the type or intensity of economic activity (use) at a given site. Two forms of land-use change are examined: succession and conversion. It is hypothesized that land-use change is influenced by use, site, and situational factors. This hypothesis is examined in a four-part analysis. First, the influence of economic use is explored through a descriptive Markov analysis. Second, structural features of land-use change are examined through locational analysis. Third, the influence of site characteristics on land-use change is assessed. Finally, multivariate analysis is used to investigate differences in the characteristics of parcels that experience changing use and those that are stable. The study utilizes micro-level land use data for the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan from 1975 to 1982. The study revealed that land-use succession most commonly involved shifts from multi-family to single-family uses. Overall, land-use succession tended to result in less intensive use. Land conversion was typified by new single-family developments. Thus, conversion resulted in consistently higher intensities of use. The basic findings of the study indicate that succession and conversion processes are a function of the locational and physical characteristics of individual parcels. In addition, it is shown that parcels involved in land-use change are significantly different in character from those that are stable.PhDUrban planningUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/159859/1/8402405.pd