Programs — PLUS: People and Land Use Strategies

Linking science, policy, and business for creative land management solutions

Go Directly to PLUS Faculty Work Group Documents

Go Directly to PLUS Faculty Work Group Members

Florida is a bellwether growth state, with its population projected to grow by 11.5 million over the next 25 years, doubling by 2050, and soon becoming the third largest state in the nation (US Census Bureau). As part of this dramatic growth, Florida's demography will continue to be highly dynamic, with high death rates and high birth rates. We also have one of the highest immigration and the third highest emigration rate in the nation. It is clear to even the most casual consumer of the popular press that development prospects are increasingly constrained by the natural and existing built environment (e.g., land, water, storm water flows, power, transportation costs, amenities, existing development, agriculture). Many of Florida's agricultural landholders are looking for ways to keep the land in production, yet face increased pressure to sell or develop due to skyrocketing land prices in recent years. This unprecedented growth is occurring smack in the middle of hurricane alley, where 80 percent of the population lives within 50 miles of a coastline.

UF Program in Land Use Dynamics

In August, SNRE management began drafting our strategic plan for development of academic and research programs SNRE Action Plan 2006-2011 for the next five years. It was clear to us that the University of Florida housed an impressive array of research talent germane to creating a sustainable future for our state and beyond. We decided to make our top priority the creation of a program in land use dynamics, based on the premise that how land is occupied is the single most important determinant of sustainability. Although growth management in Florida is a pressing issue, we envision the SNRE program in Land Use Dynamics will include academic groups working on this issue anywhere in the world, examining prehistoric as well as modern landscapes.

A UF Faculty PLUS Work Group has been assembled from about a dozen departments and UF Extension, including almost 40 faculty with research interests relevant to this area. We are seeking a new interdisciplinary synthesis of the social and so-called hard sciences, bringing diverse academic enterprises to the same table in an effort to speak a common language. These disciplines include, but are not limited to:

• Land use ecology
• Planning, design, construction, and management of the built environment
• Energy systems and energy distribution
• Natural resource valuation
• Policy, institutional, and legal processes
• Human demographics and social organization
• Emerging technologies and their associated business applications

The PLUS Work Group's goals include developing institution-wide extramural funding initiatives for the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and private foundations. We hope to develop a proposal for a UF state legislative budget request to recruit innovative researchers in the social, biological, and engineering sciences to help build the Land Use Dynamics program.

A University of Florida Land Use Program

In conjuction with the UF Faculty PLUS Work Group, SNRE is proposing the creation of a Land Use Program dedicated to the proposition that our human culture can be integrated into the ecology of Florida in a sustainable fashion while fostering economic development. The Program will provide unbiased, scientifically based best-practices advice to state and local governments and the private sector for appropriate land use. UF Extension, including our Program in Resource Efficient Communities and the Natural Resources Leadership Institute, will play a role in the delivery of these services. Advice will focus on energy-efficient building design, optimal use of natural resources, efficient configuration of communities, and transport strategies. It will emphasize solutions with the best potential for sustaining Florida's growing population, including the wealthiest and poorest of citizens. The Program will provide a national forum on sustainable growth by hosting an annual symposium emphasizing state-of-the-art reviews of optimal land and energy use. New product development and technological advancements will be featured. Future updates on the Program's creation will be forthcoming as the strategic plan is finalized and funding is secured. For more information about the Land Use Program, please contact Dr. Jim Cato.

PLUS Work with The Century Commission

Since March 2006, PLUS and SNRE have been working with the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida to create a vision for Florida’s future. As part of this work, PLUS members have written a series of documents outlining the existing tools for fostering sustainability. In addition we have produced a description of the process for creating a description of the existing and potentially important conservation lands in Florida. This is Phase One of a larger project sponsored by the Century Commission entitled CLIP (Critical Lands/Water Identification Project).

PLUS Faculty Work Group Documents

PLUS Faculty Work Group Members

Last Modified:  Friday, April 25, 2008 10:52