Urban Growth Boundaries for Watershed Health

This working paper considers how the common land use planning tool of establishing Urban Growth Boundaries (UGBs) can better integrate water management. Three case studies and mixed methods research serve an assessment of limitations and possibilities in this regard. UGB setting and water management practices are compared among the cities of Flagstaff, AZ, Fort Collins, CO, and Eugene, OR. By comparing cases, this working paper advances a novel inquiry into potential integration across planning tools. Current integration of water management and UGBs is mostly limited to mechanisms for reducing water demand. UGBs are more concerned with limiting sprawl, while water management tends to address specific threats by other means. Yet, opportunities exist to incorporate assessments of the ecosystem services provided by rural land uses and their urban alternatives when deciding where urbanization should proceed. A context-specific index could be the basis of such an approach.