Urban Growth Boundaries (UGB)
An Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), or what some call an urban development or service boundary, is a planning tool that limits land development beyond a politically-designated area. A UGB establishes a line on a map that is drawn to concentrate new development within the UGB, where there are existing urban services and facilities, and limits development in rural areas with a high natural resource or agricultural value. UGBs are established to accommodate growth over a particular period, generally 20 years. Typically, urban services are offered only within the UGB. Communities have used UGBs to curb sprawl, protect open space, encourage more compact and cost efficient development patterns, and promote redevelopment. UGBs can be effective in preventing development in rural areas, and, by encouraging or requiring higher density development within the UGB, reduce the amount of land needed to accommodate future population growth. To avoid limiting the supply of land, with the resulting higher housing costs, a UGB can contain a supply of land that is greater than the market demand for housing. In Portland, Oregon, for example, which has a process for expanding its Urban Growth Boundary, studies show that housing prices are more affordable than in other west coast cities. Features of some UGB programs include delineating a permanent urban edge where it is needed to protect important natural resources and establishing clear standards for expansion through contiguous growth around existing centers to enable efficient use of urban services. Other UGB programs require minimum densities within the UGB to achieve compact development, reduce the need to consume more open space, and provide funding to assist with local public services within (but not outside) the UGB.
Information on UGBs can be obtained from the American Planning Association [www.planning.org], the Smart Growth Network [www.smartcommunities.ncat.org], and Smart Growth America [www.smartgrowthamerica.org].
