Which Town is Most Suitable for Future Development?

Analyzing Urban Growth and Development Suitability in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

The Lancaster County in Pennsylvania is known for its agricultural history. The municipalities in the County have adopted an urban growth boundary in order to prevent the urban sprawl and to preserve farmland. This project is aimed at identifying one municipality where the urban growth boundary can be expanded in order to reduce the current development pressures and also benefit the most from the development. To accomplish this, a quarter-mile buffer inside and outside the boundary was created.

In this analysis, the most important variables in deciding where the new development should locate are the Density of Buildings and the Mean Square Foot of Buildings. The Density of Building usually indicates the development level of the area and the land value. The higher building density place indicates a higher development level and land value. The mean square foot of building shows the balance of development inside and outside each township. The bigger difference of mean square foot of building between inside and outside UGB buffer is, the more uneven develop level is between them.

Therefore, in this analysis, Upper Leacock Township should have the new development based on the comparison.