"In the past quarter-century, the total area of developed land in the United States increased by nearly 50 percent. Such a shift comes with substantial environmental, economic, and social impacts. Conflicts arise over regulation, with advocates concerned about the harm excessive development does to the environment and critics charging that urbanization is a natural shift in the market. The diverse perspectives in this resource strive to address the tough questions that arise from this important issue"--Provided by the publisher.

How do different kinds of land use affect the environment differently? -- Land use changes have economic, social, and environmental impacts / JunJie Wu -- Interactions between society and the environment require aggressive responses / Radoslava Kanianska -- Urbanization is an environmental force to be reckoned with / Barbara Boyle Torrey -- Regenerative agriculture can make farmers stewards of the land again / Stephanie Anderson -- Does the negative impact of development on the environment outweigh its benefits? -- International investments in agriculture can negatively affect local populations / Pablo Pacheco -- Sustainable agriculture can actually restore the environment / Greentumble -- Natural resources have tremendous potential to accelerate economic development / Help Save Nature -- Human impact on the land can be studied and adjusted / Science Daily -- Is environmental impact an inevitable side effect of land use and development? -- Climate adaptation considerations are playing an increasingly large role in land decisions / Daniel G. Brown and Colin Polsky -- Mining's impacts on the environment have been damaging / American Geosciences Institute -- Sustainable agriculture can meet society's needs today without compromising society's needs of the future / Gail Feenstra, Chuck Ingels, and David Campbell -- Humans have destroyed a tenth of Earth's wilderness in twenty-five years / Adam Vaughan -- Why is it important to consider the effects of land development and use on the environment? -- Technology can help us save the planet / Marco Lambertini -- A business as usual model for the future is not sustainable / United Nations -- There is not an infinite supply of land to convert for a growing population / Leighton Walker Kille -- Land users are positive about long-term benefits of sustainable practices / Markus Giger.