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Indicator: Ratio of Land Consumption to Population Growth

Data and Data Discussion provided by King County Benchmark Program

Land Consumption and Population Growth

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Upstream Indicators

There are currently no published Upstream Indicators.

Downstream Indicators
  •   Acres of Urban Parks and Open Space --- Following a dip in the late 1990's, there has been an increase in urban parks and open space acreage per King County resident over the last 10 years. In 2006, the urban area of King County had about 15 acres of park or open space for every thousand residents, a slight decrease from 2005.   (view data graph)
  •   Urbanization and Impervious Surface Changes --- The number of acres of urban land, clear-cut, and regenerating forest have increased in King County since 1986. Acres of grass and deciduous, mixed and coniferous forest have decreased. Acres of rural forests and privately owned working forests have declined in recent years  (view data graph)
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Related Goals

Sustainability Snapshot:

Changes in population relative to the portion of land being converted from rural to urban uses signals our ability to accommodate the jobs, housing, shopping, parking, transportation, and other built uses that come with population growth without ruining our natural environment in the process. During the five year period between 1999 and 2004, King County’s population grew at twice the rate of land conversion which indicates that land was being efficiently used.

Sustainability Trend:

King County's population growth has outpaced residential land development since 1996.

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

Rate of population growth compared to the consumption of new land for development.

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

During the nine years from 1996 through 2004, King County's urban population has grown 9.4%, averaging about 1% per year. In this same nine-year period, about 4.5% of the county's urban land was newly-developed, or about 0.5% per year. Both population and land development increased at the greatest rate from 1999 to 2001. As the supply of vacant land is reduced, it is likely that a greater proportion of development will take place on land with existing uses and at higher densities.

Between 1996 and 2004, King County’s urban land was consumed at only half the rate of population growth. While this trend meets the policy goal of using urban land more efficiently, even greater efficiencies will be needed in the future, as the available supply of vacant land in King County continues to diminish.

Not all growth has occurred within the Urban Growth Area. Seattle-area jurisdictions authorized 46,000 residences outside the urban growth boundary from 1991 through 2001. This kind of residential development threatens goals of compact development and appropriate density.

Data Source and Limitations

Data obtained from the 2002 King County Buildable Lands Report, King County jurisdictions and the Suburban Cities Association.

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