Objective One

As mentioned previously, this project was prepared in conjunction with the Apline Township Urban Planning Practicum.  The Township requested that we attempt to use GIS to demonstrate how differing lot sizes for new housing stock might affect the Township's land use patterns in the future.  In this objective, we addressed the issue of future population growth and this effect.  In order to reach this goal we manipulated available data to produce several maps that detail the land area necessary to meet the projected increase in housing units from 2000 through 2025, based on population projections from the University of Michigan. Using the building permit and demolition permit data below provided by the Township's planner, we accounted for permits already issued within the housing unit projection time frame.

After the housing units were corrected for recent growth, we multiplied the total units projected by each acreage interval to arrive at the following acreage predictions.

With the acreage figures calculated, we came up with a series of conditions that would allow us to determine what area of land in the Township will be available to develop for these homes.  By selecting land within the current future sewer coverage, not already containing a home site less than 10 acres, on land planned for future use as residential or rural agricultural, and then prioritized each area of parcels based on its proximity to Alpine Ave and then to Four Mile Road.  Removed from the area of each suitable parcel will be any land within 20 meters of river or wetland features.  These factors are represented in our flow chart.  For objective two, we used the data from these maps to determine how many households will travel along each of the network paths we create in the next section.

The future land use map is shown below.  This map was used to remove future uses of public and commercial from the overall parcel set  The current zoning map, also shown below, was also used to remove current zoned areas commercial and mobile home.

The detail map shown below gives a close-up view of what effect our 2-cell (20m at 10m resolution) on the parcel area when hydrology cuts through a parcel.

Proceed to Objective One Analysis!