Land Development’s Impact on Middle TN

Middle Tennessee is one of the fastest-growing regions in the southeastern United States. By 2040, an estimated 3 million people will call the territory home (Harpeth Conservancy). While the influx of the population may increase certain opportunities within the area, it will also have negative impacts on the surrounding environment.

Our goal is to identify the effects of land development in middle TN and help investors and contractors navigate these challenges.

Currently, rural land is disappearing at a rate of nearly 20 acres per day. The abundant farmland and forests that people and animals depend on will soon be half its size. The resulting impacts will have long-term consequences if they are not rapidly addressed.

Before we dive in, let’s clarify what it is. Land development is the act of surveying, improving, and building upon land in accordance with local codes and regulations. We offer land surveying services that help individuals and organizations in both the public and private sector make more informed choices about their plans.

Land surveying is crucial to land development because it highlights potential challenges and identifies solutions to them before they can interfere with construction. It also helps preserve the integrity of the land and its supportive ecosystem. Protecting biodiversity is becoming an increasingly popular concern in the face of rapid urbanization throughout the South.

The effects of land development in middle Tennessee include:

Land development affects much more than people. All the wildlife that live in a region will lose their habitat and be forced to migrate elsewhere. This can lead to greater issues due to formerly controlled populations turning into invasive species or introducing new bacteria and diseases to other parts of the state.

Significant land development can also cause many species of insects, birds, and mammals to become endangered. Their own contributions to the natural ecosystem can have a chain reaction on local human populations.

The loss of rural land can negatively impact some people, but it can also open the doorway to greater opportunities. One of the greatest struggles Americans living in middle Tennessee face is easy access to retail stores and healthcare.

Smart land development preserves the natural beauty of a region while enhancing the quality of life for residents. New parks can protect green spaces while offering safe places for families to enjoy the great outdoors.

Shopping centers can rapidly expand access to retail and dining establishments while also providing greater job opportunities. 

More areas to congregate also help strengthen community ties. Those who may not have always had a chance to connect with their neighbors can now do so in a variety of settings, whether that’s a local yoga studio or sports club at a new park.

Land development can create new jobs, but it can also impact the livelihoods of farmers and those in the agricultural industry. Therefore, it’s vital that land developers act with integrity and make decisions that are designed to benefit rather than hinder the people in the area they’re working in.

The benefit of land development in rural areas includes both increased job opportunity and greater revenue for local businesses. 

However, it’s also important to consider the financial impacts of urbanization. Increased costs of living and housing can create financial hardship for locals. This is why working with a professional company, like Chastain-Skillman, is so vital to ensuring the land development you undertake is done with the utmost consideration for people who live in the area.

Land development is a complex process that needs professional support and oversight. Contact us today to connect with land surveying and engineer experts in Tennessee.