The Effects of Floodplain Development Controls on Residential Land Values

make up about 7 percent of all land in the United States. The use of floodplains directly affects protection of the environment (e.g., water quality and natural habitats) and public safety. As a result of past floodplain development, floods cause approximately 200 deaths and $9 billion in property damage annually (L.R. Johnston Associates 1989, chap. 3, 33). Although the right to regulate land use is a power the states have traditionally left to local government discretion, critical and hazardous area controls are increasingly being adopted under state or federal mandates.