RMMC is involved in urban growth and land use research as part of the USGS interdivisional projects: Front Range Infrastructure Resources Initiative (Denver-Front Range), Greater Yellowstone Area Ecosystem Initiative, Middle Rio Grande Basin Study (Albuquerque), and the Seattle Area Natural Hazards Project.

Front Range Infrastructure Resources Initiative

The Colorado Front Range cities and counties are home to 80% of Colorado's population. From July 1987 to July 1997, the region's population grew by over 20%, from approximately 3.3 million to 3.9 million. Colorado had ten of the fifty fastest growing counties from 1990-1995 with Douglas County being the fastest growing jurisdiction. The checkerboard development and subsequent fragmentation of agricultural lands are soon filled in with an urban landform. Decision making for growth management will require the measurement of the rate, type, and location of urban growth as well as assessing the impacts of continued development.

Greater Yellowstone Area Ecosystem Initiative

Land use development and population growth within the Greater Yellowstone Area is resulting in the fragmentation of prime wildlife habitat. RMMC is mapping the location and impacts of human use over time. When combined with wildlife habitat data, these maps will help better define the impacts of humans on wildlife in the area.

Middle Rio Grande Basin Study

Urbanization of the landscape is causing ongoing land transformations in the Albuquerque area. In 1990, 25 percent (385,000) of New Mexico's residents lived in the Duke City (Albuquerque), and during the past century the city's population increase accounted for about 30 percent of New Mexico's growth. As a result of the population growth, Albuquerque's annual groundwater withdrawal has increased from about 2,000 acre-feet in 1933 to about 123,000 acre-feet in 1994. Predicting where urbanization is most likely to occur shall assist in evaluating future aquifer stresses and the subsequent impacts on the region's water resources.

Seattle Area Natural Hazards Project

The primary goal of the project is to improve the use of earth-science research results in designing hazard mitigation, disaster response, and long-term urban planning. Expectations are that the use of natural hazards information will help reduce human and economic losses from these hazards. Predicting areas where urban growth is likely to occur, shall assist in evaluating the long-term impact of hazards and mitigation in the developing region of eastern Puget Sound.