10.2190/BD6C-N1TC-3J6C-G2XQ BD6CN1TC3J6CG2XQ 2 Comparative Analysis of Land Evaluation Systems for Douglas County 259 278 20020509 20020509 20020509 20020509 BD6CN1TC3J6CG2XQ.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=BD6CN1TC3J6CG2XQ 4 Donna Luckey Michael N. DeMers School of Architecture and Urban Design, University of Kansas, Lawrence Department of Geography, Ohio State University The USDA Soil Conservation Service LESA system is evaluated and analyzed in two phases. First, using ten years of building permits in two targeted zones in Douglas County, Kansas, a variety of LESA structures are compared. Redundant factors and the impact of different weighting systems are examined. Phase Two follows with a systematic method to determine the Site Assessment factors and their interactions. Results indicate that certain evaluation structures are more reliably consistent and that the systematic approach in Phase Two improves LESA considerably. In addition, it is concluded that the final grading mechanism needs attention, to assure proper protection. Planners are cautioned to consider these issues when implementing LESA for their area. J. A. Gibson, On the Allocation of Prime Agricultural Land, <i>Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 32</i>, pp. 271-275, 1977. J. M. Jeffords, Protecting Farmland: Minimizing the Federal Role, <i>Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 34</i>, pp. 158-159, 1979. R. M. Raup, What is Prime Land?, <i>Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 31</i>, pp. 180-181, 1976. W. W. Wood, Prime Lands—The Definitional and Policy Problems, <i>American Journal of Agricultural Economy, 58</i>, pp. 909-913, 1976. J. Gillies and F. Mittelback, Urban Pressures on California Land: A Comment, <i>Land Economics, 34</i>, pp. 80-83, 1958. Soil Conservation Service, <i>National Agricultural Land Evaluation and Site Assessment Handbook</i>, 310-VI, Issue 1, Washington, DC, 1979. Soil Conservation Service, <i>National Agricultural Land Evaluation and Site Assessment Handbook</i>, 310-VI, Issue 1, Washington, DC, 1983. Topeka-Shawnee County Metropolitan Planning Commission, <i>Agricultural Lands Evaluation and Site Assessment System</i>, Shawnee County, KS, adopted October 20, 1983. Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission, <i>Douglas County Guide Plan 1976-2000</i>, Ron Jones and Associates, Consultants, Lawrence, KS, 1980. Planners Consider Measures to Regulate Residential Development in County, <i>Lawrence Journal-World</i>, Lawrence, KS, p. 8, September 21, 1982. T. H. L. Williams, Implementing LESA on a Geographic Information System System: A Case Study, <i>Photogeometric Engineering and Remote Sensing, 51</i>:12, pp. 1923-1932, 1985. Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Staff, personal communications, 1984. C. D. Tomlin, <i>The Map Analysis Package</i>, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, New Haven, CT, 1980. Douglas County Planning Staff, Internal Memo (Preliminary List of Criteria), Lawrence, KS, August 1982. H. Rittel, personal communication and ARCH 130 lecture notes, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 1978. L. E. Wright, Agricultural Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA): A New Agricultural Land Protection Tool in the U. S. A., <i>Soil Survey and Land Evaluation, 4</i>:2, pp. 25-38, 1984. R. K. Jain, L. V. Urban, and G. S. Stacey, Environmental Impact Analysis, <i>A New Dimension in Decision Making</i>, Van Nostrand Reinhold Environmental Engineering Series, New York, NY, 1977. J. Kane, A Primer for a New Cross-Impact Language—KSIM, <i>Technology Forecasting and Social Change, 4</i>, pp. 129-142, 1972. State Coastal Conservancy, <i>Agricultural Preservation Program</i>, Conservancy Report, Oakland, CA, 1981. USDA, <i>Final Report: National Architectural Lands Study</i>, USDA, Washington, DC, 1981. D. Dent and A. Young, <i>Soil Survey and Land Evaluation</i>, George Allen & Unwin, London, 1981.