Sustainability Snapshot:

As more land is converted to urban uses, are we systematically reducing our ability to produce food by placing our infrastructure on the most productive soil resources? Floodplains, for example, offer rich fertile lands for agriculture but are also very desirable for housing and commerce and most of the floodplains in the central Puget Sound region have been drained, levied and paved over. A consequence of this urbanization process is a growing dependence on ever greater yields per unit area on soils that remain available for agriculture or a reliance on more distant soil resources and agricultural production. A national study of the impacts of urban development on soil resources in the United States found that residential, commercial, and industrial development, known as "urban sprawl," appears to be having the most substantial impacts on the better agricultural soils. Some unique soil types appear to be on the verge of being entirely covered by urban sprawl. The conversion of good agricultural soils to nonagricultural use may have long-term ramifications for sustainable development at the local, regional, and global levels.