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An urban growth boundary, or UGB, is a regional boundary, set in an attempt to control urbanization by designating the area inside the boundary for higher density urban development and the area outside the boundary for lower density rural development. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... // A death squad is an armed squad of men that kills civilians. ...

An urban growth boundary circumscribes an entire urbanized area and is used by local governments as a guide to zoning and land use decisions. If the area affected by the boundary includes multiple jurisdictions a special urban planning agency may be created by the state or regional government to manage the boundary. In a rural context, the terms town boundary, village curtilage or village envelope may be used to apply the same constraining principles. Some jurisdictions refer to the area within an urban growth boundary as an urban growth area, or UGA. While the names are different, the concept is the same. Another term used is urban service area. Urban planning is concerned with the ordering and design of settlements, from the smallest towns to the worlds largest cities. ...

UGBs and housing prices

Urban growth boundaries have come under an increasing amount of scrutiny in the past 10 years as housing prices have substantially risen, especially on the West Coast of the USA^{[citation needed]}. By limiting the supply of developable land, critics argue, UGBs increase demand and therefore the price of existing developable and already-developed land. As a result, they theorize, housing on that land becomes more expensive^{[citation needed]}. Planning experts counter that when properly managed, UGBs have a minimal impact on property value^{[citation needed]}. In Portland, Oregon, for example, the housing boom of the past four years drove the growth-management authority to substantially increase the UGB in 2004. While some point to affordability for this action, in reality it was in response to Oregon State law^{[citation needed]}. By law Metro, the regional government is required to maintain a 20-year supply of land within the boundary. Even with the addition of several thousand acres housing prices continued to rise at record-matching paces. Supporters of UGBs point out that Portland's housing market is still more affordable than other West Coast cities, and housing prices have increased across the country. Homes in Monterey County, California, are some of the most expensive in the Unites States. ... Nickname: Location of Portland in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: , Country State County Multnomah County Incorporated February 8, 1851 Government  - Mayor Tom Potter[1]  - Commissioners Sam Adams Randy Leonard Dan Saltzman Erik Sten  - Auditor Gary Blackmer Area  - City 376. ... Metro, previously known as the Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area. ...

Places with urban growth boundaries

United States

The U.S. states of Oregon, Washington and Tennessee require cities to establish urban growth boundaries. However, in states such as Tennessee the boundaries are not used to control growth but rather to define long-term city boundaries. States such as Texas use the delineation of Extra Territorial Jurisdictional boundaries to map out future city growth with the idea of minimizing competitive annexations rather than controlling growth. Notable US cities which have adopted UGBs include Portland, Oregon; Boulder, Colorado; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Lexington, Kentucky; all cities within Ventura County, California, and in Miami-Dade county. In the San Francisco Bay Area there are several examples. In particular, Livermore and Pleasanton have voter controlled UGBs as well as their surrounding Counties of Alameda and Contra Costa, creating a robust "double" UGB. Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... For the capital city of the United States, see Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see Washington (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Largest metro area Nashville Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 36th  - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 km²)  - Width 120 miles (195 km)  - Length 440 miles (710 km)  - % water 2. ... Nickname: Location of Portland in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: , Country State County Multnomah County Incorporated February 8, 1851 Government  - Mayor Tom Potter[1]  - Commissioners Sam Adams Randy Leonard Dan Saltzman Erik Sten  - Auditor Gary Blackmer Area  - City 376. ... The City of Boulder ( , Mountain Time Zone) is a home rule municipality located in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. ... “Minneapolis” redirects here. ... Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia. ... Nickname: Location in the Commonwealth of Kentucky Coordinates: , Country United States State Kentucky Counties Fayette Government  - Mayor Jim Newberry (D) Area  - City  285. ... Ventura County is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area, located on Californias Pacific coast. ... County slogan: Delivering Excellence Every Day Location of county in the state of Florida County Seat Miami, Florida Area  - Total  - Water 6,297 km² (2,431 mi²) 1,257 km² (485 mi²) 19. ... USGS satellite photo of the San Francisco Bay Area. ... Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. ... Location of Pleasanton within Alameda County, California. ... Official website: http://www. ...

Canada

Outside the US, Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario have boundaries to preserve greenspace. This article refers to the city in British Columbia, Canada. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Diversity Our Strength Image:Toronto, Ontario Location. ...

United Kingdom

Controls to constrain the area of urban development existed in London as early as the 16th century. In the middle of the 20th century the countryside abutting the London conurbation was protected as the Metropolitan Green Belt. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... In city planning, the Green Belt is a concept for controlling metropolitan growth introduced around London, England by minister of housing Duncan Sandys via a Government Circular. ...

Australia

Melbourne has recently introduced legislated growth boundaries as part of the Melbourne 2030 metropolitan strategy to limit urban sprawl and protect the intervening open spaces, known as 'green wedges'. This article is about the Australian city; the name may also refer to City of Melbourne or Melbourne city centre. ... Melbourne 2030 is a Victorian Government urban planning blueprint for the metropolis of Melbourne covering the period 2000-2030 in which the population of the urban area is expected to grow to just under 5 million people. ... Urban sprawl (also: suburban sprawl) is the spreading out of a city and its suburbs over rural land at the fringe of an urban area. ...

External links

• Metro: Urban growth boundary: information on the Portland, Oregon-area boundary
• Chronology of land use legislation in Oregon, 1969 - present

See also

• Green belt
• Land use planning
• Community separator
• Urban rural fringe
• Open space
• Urban sprawl
• Prime farmland