ABSTRACT
As urban areas grow in terms of population, income and wealth, the value of the land surrounding these places increases. Returns to developing the land for housing and commercial enterprises exceed the returns to farming. Some of the most productive agricultural areas become attractive sites for development (Morris 1998). Prior to the 1960s, the conversion of farmland was considered part of the natural process of spatial economic growth. Rapid suburbanization of cities due in part to the completion of the interstate highway system and the draw of suburban lifestyles caused many environmentalists to question the wisdom of allowing unregulated growth. As observed by Rome (2001), the 1960s and 1970s witnessed the emergence of two conflicting mega trends: first, massive migration to the suburbs and high amenity exsuburban rural areas and second, the rise of the environmental movement.
