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Policy Analysis of Transferable Development Rights Programming Using Geographic Information Systems Modeling

Given the land use challenges of sustaining urban centers while protecting rural communities and environmentally valuable lands, there is national interest in balancing preservation and development. Yet the best method for achieving this balance remains undecided. Communities are investigating policy options, such as transferable development rights (TDR), which recognize: the need for an economic and environmental balance; the importance of private property rights; and the power of using a market-based approach. Previous TDR programs have failed to preserve land, in part because communities did not understand how to calculate and allocate TDRs in their community context. This investigation presents a TDR allocation model, using a geographic information system modeling (GIS) approach, which allows communities to begin to analyze and discuss a TDR policy for agricultural land preservation at the local level. A five-step modeling method is outlined for hypothetical analysis of a case study.

The findings show that given the potential supply and demand for development rights, TDR is a possible policy option for Alpine Township in Kent County, Michigan. Furthermore, the GIS modeling approach has applicability beyond TDR and may be used by local land use planners to analyze other policy alternatives that attempt to balance development and preservation. The utility of the model lies not in its ability to predict the location of development and preservation areas, but rather in its ability to promote discussion and debate. By providing a method for calculating and allocating an initial number of TDR strategies from which dialogue and debate can commence, the model presented here serves as a starting point for communities defining a TDR program.