Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-2002

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Planning

Major Professor

Cecilia Zanetta

Abstract

This thesis examines changes in population, land use, and transportation in Tennessee as they relate to urban sprawl in order to assess the Tennessee Growth Policy Act, Public Chapter 1101. Its effectiveness in controlling urban sprawl in the state is evaluated, and specific recommendations for the policy decision-making will be provided. Decennial and annual data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, data from the USDA Natural Resources Inventory (1982-1997 period) and Federal Highway Administration (1995-2000 period) are used in analyzing population growth patterns, land use trends and transportation trends. Data are analyzed using common descriptive statistics, as well as visual inspection using maps created by geographic information system (GIS). Tennessee has shown many urban sprawl trends intertwined by transportation, land use patterns, population growth. From the county-based analysis of changes in population, counties show different growth patterns in overall Tennessee, and the population expansion in Middle Tennessee is outstanding. Tennessee's Growth Policy Act, Public Chapter 1101, has constituted a good first step toward a state-level growth policy. However, at this time, it needs to improve the appropriate requirements based on county level analysis, a regional approach, and cooperative policy decisionmaking in order to address and control problematic challenges for a better future for Tennessee.

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