ALTHOUGH OHIO'S POPULATION lags behind that of other states, urban areas are quickly expanding and consuming land, said Elena Irwin, an assistant professor in OARDC's Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics. She has analyzed Ohio's land-use trends in order to help local communities in their planning and decision making.

"Exurban" areas - less concentrated urban areas on the rural-urban fringe - now cover 60 percent of Ohio's land, Irwin said. Residents with homes in exurban areas have properties of 5 acres to 40 acres.

"This conversion of rural land to developed land equates to a loss of farmland and open space for the community," Irwin said. "The owner of a five-acre lot gains private space, but the amenity value and other public benefits that often accompany rural land are lost to the community."

Exurban development usually increases property values and stimulates the local economy, but communities often struggle to pay for needed infrastructure, Irwin said. Exurban communities also demand additional school transportation, emergency vehicles and other public services, which can be a burden to a township, village or county government.

At the same time, urban centers losing residents have to financially maintain infrastructures and public services that now serve fewer people.

"Urbanization of land supercedes the localities - it occurs at a regional level," Irwin said. "Support for regional cooperation among municipalities, townships, villages and counties is needed to develop a more coordinated set of policies to guide urban growth."

Irwin hopes her research will help communities understand growth trends and will build awareness of the importance of regional growth management.