Geog-y✰

Sunday, March 28, 2010

@ 5:00 PM

Description of the various ways to increase land

Land Reclamation

- Empoldering
Empoldering normally refers to the creation of a piece of land in a low-lying area reclaimed from a body of water by building dykes and by drainage, which is called polder. Polders normally constitute areas of land reclaimed from a body of water, such as the lake or the sea, and are consequently below the surrounding water level.

- Draining swamps
Wetland act like natural sponges as they capture surface runoff water and bring it back to the surface slowly. Wetland also prevents serious water level control problems and limit soil erosion. Dykes are also built along the coast to keep the sea water out of the former swamps. Fresh water is brought in from a river through a network of canals and excess water in the reclaimed land is removed by a system of drains.

- Reclaiming derelict land
Derelict land can be made useful if reclaimed. An example of derelict land is a disused quarry. The mining pools in such quarries can be filled up completely with non-toxic waste and treated with acidic substances like gypsum. In the past, there were mining activities in Singapore, as seen in the disused granite quarries in Bukit Timah, Bukit Batok and Pulau Ubin. As excavations proceed at the site, the bare soil and rocks beneath the land surface resemble that of a quarry or a mine. When mining operations cease, restorations works are necessary as rain would wash the soil heaps down the slope causing more erosion.

- Landfill
Putting sand into coastal waters will allow them to make new land. Large-scale land reclamation by landfill has been carried out in different parts of Singapore since the 1960s. Singapore reclaimed land from the sea using landfill method, for example, Marina City and Pulau Semakau. To reclaim land from the sea, dykes must be constructed in shallow parts of the sea to prevent the seawater from entering the area to be reclaimed. The area is then filled with sand, rock or soil.

Maximising land use
Since the amount of land that can be reclaimed is limited, land reclamation is not a long-term solution to the problem of land shortage. Land use planning is a suitable response to the rising demand for land as it can settle the conflicts about the land use so as to maximise existing land use.

- Mixed Land Use
Different activities, such as residential, commercial and industrial, are carried out together in the old city centre in large cities with a long history of development, thus forming a mixed land use.

-High-density buildings
The competition for land is more intense in cities. Therefore, buildings are built close together to allow more residential flats to house growing population and offer more offices to accommodate expanding economic activities. The density of buildings, especially in the central business district, is high. In densely populated cities like Singapore, skyscrapers are built close together.

-Terracing
Terracing increases the area of arable land, thus maximizing the exiting land use.

-Soil-less farming
It allows less land to be needed and the supply of food is not affected.

-Irrigation
It involves supplying water to areas that were formerly not suitable for cultivation. It also increase yields in existing farmlands by lengthening the growing seasons. Traditional irrigation methods include diverting water to the fields by simpler canals. Nowadays, perennial canals are built and these canals provide irrigation all year around. They are usually built in conjunction with large damn projects. Sprinklers driven by electric pumps are also widely used on modern farms to increase the efficiency of irrigation.

Increasing Price of Land
Land use is partly determined by opportunirt cost and the price mechanism.

Land prices change overtime from place to place. They are governed by the simple law of supply and demand. Higher land prices are caused by a decrease in supply or an increase in demand. The price mechanism refers to the process by which changes in price guide and shape changes in the value and types of goods and services that is produced. It also controls the allocation of land uses. Land prices generally decrease with the distance from the city centre. As a result, activities that are able to pay the highest rentals are often found in the city centre. Activities that require a larger floor area would more likely to be located in the outskirts of the city. When many businesses compete for the same favourable location, the price of land will rise.

Land is very valuable in cities like Singapore as competition among different land uses is intense. Price is an effective tool to allocate the scarce land in a competitive situation. The closer one gets to the city centre, the more expensive the land becomes. As a result of the high land value, activities that can generate high income or profits are usually found in the city centre.

The opportunity cost is the cost of a decision in terms of the value of the next best alternative. The opportunity cost of retaining open spaces and old buildings in the city is more available land for commercial purposes such as banking and hotel businesses. However, city planners realize that open spaces and architecturally significant old buildings co-exists with businesses by providing recreation, aesthetic beauty and a sense of history.

Land Clearance [Deforestation]
As the population increases, so do the needs of the people. More land is required for development, resulting in massive deforestation projects. Forests are often burned and cleared by commercial logging companies. The forests provide timber that can be made into various products such as paper and furniture for sale. The forest is also cleared for agricultural purposes. By clearing these forests, it also provides more land for different activities like residential, commercial and industrial.

Conservation of Land
Destruction of land has the following effects such as destroying the natural scenic beauty, disturbing the habitats of the living organisms and increasing the shortage of land. Land is known as an important natural heritage. Land conservation can minimise this loss and damage, so that more land can be made availiable for human uses.