Rural settlement patterns and growth management : a study of farmland loss in Humboldt County, California

Graduation Date

2004

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, Environment and Community, 2004

Committee Chair Name

Michael D. Smith

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Farms, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Environment and Community, Agricultural conservation, Humboldt County, Rural, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Social Science, California, Agriculture and state, Land use

Abstract

All over the United States, sprawling growth is consuming farmland and open space. In California—the most populous and the most urban state in the nation—the situation is particularly acute. The negative impacts of farmland conversions are widely acknowledged in the literature. A number of growth management techniques are available to address the loss of farmland, yet the state's reliance on locally derived land-use regulation appears unable to address detrimental land-use patterns comprehensively. A case study of California's land-use planning process is made in Humboldt County, focusing on the loss of agricultural lands. Historical economic trends and cultural influences on land use are explored. Aerial photographs of the study site document historic and modern settlement patterns on the landscape. An analysis of policy language in the Humboldt County General Plan reveals a political bias toward growth and ineffective measures to protect farmland. Suggestions for public education and citizen involvement in adopting and implementing general plan policies are made.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/1r66j339k

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