For documentation and analysis of land use in hazard areas by county, see Appendix E (PDF file) of Taming Natural Disasters, the multi-jurisidictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area.

The existing land use data for 2005 was published by ABAG in 2006. It is based on a combination of aerial photography, interviews with city and county personnel, field checking, and assessors' data when available. The areas where assessors' data were NOT available include the cities of Alameda and Albany in Alameda County and all of Solano County (except for Fairfield, Vacaville, and Vallejo). The assessors' files enabled ABAG to identify local streets as separate areas. Thus, when reviewing the land use totals, note that the areas within streets are much larger in these areas (and the associated areas of residential and commercial are correspondingly smaller). The data and report can be purchased through ABAG's web store.

The existing land use data for 2000 was published by ABAG in 2002. It was also based on a combination of aerial photography, interviews with city and county personnel, and field checking. In addition, assessors' data were incorporated into the file for all of Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and San Francisco counties, as well as for the areas outside of cities in Sonoma County and the cities of Fairfield, Vacaville, and Vallejo in Solano County. The assessors' files enabled ABAG to identify local streets as separate areas. Thus, when reviewing the land use totals, note that the areas within streets are much larger in these areas (and the associated areas of residential and commercial are correspondingly smaller). The data and report can be purchased through ABAG's web store.

Land use change data for 2000-2005 is not a simple "subtraction" of land use acres in 2000 from land use acres in 2005. Rather, it is the acres of land that have changed use and become a particular urban or agricultural category during that five-year period.

Note that the 2000-2005 land use change data, as well as the existing land use data for 2005, are more accurate than the 2000 data due to more sources of more detailed information.

For more information on particular hazards, go to the Hazards Mitigation home page.