Landscape of urbanization
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Most of the world's cities are expanding into agricultural land. Landscape planning for urbanization is concerned with the conservation and development of landscape resources as urbanization takes place. Ian McHarg's approach to this problem was to prepare a series of overlay maps showing the different types of quality in the land around settlements: agricultural value, property value, hydrological value, scenic value, recreational value, ecological value etc. The maps of value were then overlaid to produce a composite map which looked like an X-Ray photograph - with the dark areas having the most value and the white areas the least value. His belief was that the 'white land' should be urbanized in preference to the 'black land'. The overlay mapping system which McHarg proposed is now carried out using a Geographic Information System. Other landscape planners have proposed greenways and green belts as a means of urban growth management.
