Estimating the Differential Change in Land Use Associated With Reservoir Construction

Much attention has been focused recently on the need for land use planning in this country. With federal land use legislation pending, it seems imperative that resource economists develop quantitative methods for evaluating and predicting land use change. The need to develop appropriate estimation techniques is most apparent for land use change in areas which have received substantial investment in a relatively short period of time. Construction of multi-purpose reservoirs is the most important type of public investment that has impacted land use patterns in Oklahoma since the “dust bowl” days.