Lessons for Effective Urban‐Containment and Resource‐Land—Preservation Policy

Abstract

Many states in the United States are attempting to manage urban growth so that development is directed to urban areas equipped to accommodate development, and rural lands are preserved for resource and other nonurban uses. Oregon leads the nation in growth‐management experience. This article assesses the effectiveness of state urban‐growth‐management and rural‐land‐preservation policies as they are implemented by city of Medford and Jackson County, Ore., (the Medford metropolitan statistical area). Medford and Jackson County are fast‐growing jurisdictions that receive considerable migration from California, which abuts their southern borders. Using primary data collection and analysis, urban‐growth‐management and resource‐land‐preservation efforts administered by county and the city governments appear to be somewhat effective in directing development into urban areas, but development continues to occur on resource lands. Moreover, development of some urban land is occurring in patterns that may ultimately lead to faster conversions of rural land than policies otherwise intend. These issues and policy implications are discussed.