Landuse Change Analysis

The Land Use Change Analysis provides residential, household, commercial and agricultural land use change data by township in table and graph form.

Sample Analysis (Chicago 9 county region)

Land use change that occurs as a result of the Reference scenario indicates, as expected, that there will be overall growth in residential and commercial development throughout the region.  The Kankakee watershed is expected to see the longest and most consistent increase during this period; while the Des Plaines watershed should experience the largest overall increase in residential development.  Commercial development increases most significantly in the Des Plaines and Chicago Calumet watersheds.  Interestingly, the Chicago Calumet watershed is the only watershed expected to experience the slowest rate of residential growth as the available land becomes more scarce over time.  The agricultural change curves seem to be relatively flat with the exception of the Des Plaines watershed.  However, considering the scale in acres the region is expected to lose a great deal of agricultural land by 2040.