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We selected five
areas in the greater Portland metropolitan area for study. Four are in
Oregon and cover the transition area from urban to rural land uses under
different levels of pressure along the state-mandated and Metro-delineated
urban growth boundary. One is in the unregulated land use environment
of Clark Country, Washington. In the Portland metropolitan area the study
sites from greater to lesser degrees of development pressure are: the
Bethany area where the transition from suburban
development to farmland is abrupt; the Scholl's Ferry
and Sherwood areas where development pressure is
present and the urban growth boundary is apparent; the Happy
Valley area where a transition zone of large lot rural residences
is most pronounced. The Clark County, Washington,
area is more similar to Happy Valley and includes a broad transition zone
of rural, non-farm uses between the suburban and agricultural landscapes.
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