42 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 387 



TYPES OF COMMUNITIES AND THE PROBLEMS ARISING 

 FROM THEIR PATTERNS OF LAND UTILIZATION 



In the preceding discussion the classification of towns has been based on several 

 important factors in land utilization. The extent to which any one of these factors 

 is present in the community and the manner in which it is combined with other 

 factors largely determine the pattern of land utilization in that community. 

 To a certain degree every town in Massachusetts presents a land-utilization 

 picture where two or more land uses exist in some combination. Considering the 

 variety of natural conditions in Massachusetts towns and the diversity in the 

 character of the population present in various localities, it is only natural that 

 agriculture should be closely associated with other land uses. Whether this associa- 

 tion has developed in a harmonious and mutually beneficial manner depends on 

 a good many factors of which historical background, physical basis, and activities 

 of individuals are important. Where all these influences have not worked out 

 favorably the town has a definite land-utilization problem. Some of the difficulties 

 in these towns can be removed only over a very long period of time, but in the 

 main a considerable amount of work can be done in the elimination of some of the 

 maladjustments. This presents a real challenge to the various public agencies 

 working in rural areas and to local planning organizations. A great deal can be 

 accomplished towards general improvement by getting v/ell acquainted with the 

 fundamental assets and deficiencies of the community and the important forces 

 which tend to influence the type of land utilization in existence. The interrela- 

 tionship of various land uses should be thoroughly understood before any plan of 

 action is undertaken. In many communities, for example, with a combination 

 of various land uses, the position of agriculture may be considerably improved by 

 applying assessment and taxation based on an adequate system of land classi- 

 fication. Agricultural land should be taxed according to its productive capacity, 

 thus placing the existing farming on a more stable and permanent basis. This 

 must be clearly recognized because, in many communities where other uses are 

 also important, farming still remains the most basic and fundamental factor in 

 the proper utilization of local natural resources. 



Under diverse influences each community in the course of time has developed 

 its own pattern of land utilization, and in order to give an adequate appraisal 

 of local conditions it is necessary to study each town in detail. There are, how- 

 ever, some outstanding characteristics which distinguish the types of communities 

 associated with the existing patterns of land utilization. On this basis, five differ- 

 ent types of communities are considered in the light of prevailing combinations 

 of land uses, their problems and needed adjustments. 



A. Towns with a low level of agricultural land utilization and lacking other 

 more intensive land uses. 



In the general decline of agricultural land utilization in the State, a considerable 

 number of towns that lost in farming never succeeded in regaining their balance 

 and former importance by evolving other land uses and compensating lines of 

 activity. These towns generally have a low density of population which in many 

 cases is scattered over wide areas. The land areas are predominantly under 

 wooded cover with some of them used for extensive recreational purposes. There 

 is only a limited amount of good land available for agriculture and even this 

 includes much that is either stony or sandy or too wet. The topography is mostly 

 rough, except in a few level sandy or marshy areas. Because of the absence of 

 any appreciable development of more intensive land uses, the. values of 



