Impact of housing development

Housing developments bring more people to an area, resulting in larger urban populations. Most often, new housing is built on land that was either untouched native plants or farmland. In the US, new housing removes 100s of acres of farmland per year. In Arizona, new housing is in areas previously held by ranches. In recent years, this has become problematic because it impinges on natural resources, particularly riparian areas. Because of the shortage of ground water in many areas, added users endanger the well water of earlier settlers.