Slow demographic growth
The administrative division of Urban and Rural affects Lexington - Fayette in physical patterns and economic roles respectively. It has been revised many times as comprehensive plan changes over years. The border between urban and rural was defined in Urban Growth Boundary dating to 1958. The urban boundary has been expanded 5,300 acres in Expansion Area Master Plan. [6] This expansion slightly enlarges urban area, even though which counters to the Long-Range Rural Preservation Plan. Then decision makers realized the significance of revitalizing urban vacant lots rather than endless rural expansion. Currently, one of key trends is Lexington still keeps a slow and steady development mode instead of widely fast urban sprawl. |
Urban grows more
Policy makers show tendency to stimulus economy by housing market. In 2007 comprehensive plan, it is discouraged to build residential development that is unrelated to agriculture in Rural Service Area. [7] In 2013 comprehensive plan, housing choices have been expanded for market needs. [8] Looking at trends across the entire state population, Price said the result could be an eventual shift in infrastructure funding formulas that traditionally have been more favorable to rural areas than urban and suburban Kentucky. It is a signal that more residential development will be fostered under a flexible planning guidance. To ensure that the urban growth boundary policies and other long range planning issues address the expected needs for new urban development and contribute to the prosperity of Lexington Fayette County, more underutilized vacant lots are being revitalized and more residential or mix-use complex would be built in urban service area. Currently, the cities grow while rural area decline in Kentucky. The state’s internal shifts and growth allow Golden Triangle – Lexington, Louisville and Northern Kentucky gain population growth. The population losses in rural are a product of out-migration and a low birth rate, a consequence of younger people moving away. People are leaving to find jobs. In addition, some home loans through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development are open only to people in counties with less than 20,000 people. It is possible people in some Kentucky counties will lose access to home loans because of population growth since 2000. At this point, people may keep moving out of rural area and urban areas keep gaining population. |