Land Preservation Under the Transfer of Development Rights Program

Problem, research strategy, and findings Transfer of development rights (TDR) programs are land preservation programs that promise to conserve land in its current use by allowing landowners to sell development rights on their parcels. Using Montgomery County (MD) as an example, I examine how development patterns evolve under a TDR program and how well this program delivers its promise of permanent preservation. Montgomery County is a national model as one of the most successful TDR programs in the United States. After matching the digitized TDR transaction records with land use/land cover maps, I found a clear effect of the program on encouraging agricultural land and forest preservation. However, scattered development patterns have also emerged in the TDR sending area. The TDR program showed promising effects on preserving agricultural land and forest but also insufficiency in advancing desirable development patterns and ensuring permanent conservation.Takeaway for practice Planners should be cautious about the putative advantages of land preservation through TDR programs. Such efforts may not engender the desired outcomes. Owing to the unbridled pressure for development in large metropolitan areas, attempting to maintain land for agricultural and forest use perpetually in their suburbs is financially challenging. Thus, planners should enhance their endeavors to track the actual preservation achieved by TDR programs and discern whether sprawling patterns start to emerge in the TDR sending areas. I also discuss specific design features that planners can use in land preservation programs to improve their effectiveness.