Land is a scarce resource due to rising population and demand. Countries face land constraints as land supply is fixed while demand increases for housing, agriculture, industry, and transportation. To address this, countries take several responses including increasing land supply through land reclamation, landfill projects, and maximizing existing land use through mixed development projects, high-density buildings, irrigation, and terracing of agricultural land.

1. Chapter 7 Land Supply
Land as a scarce resource
- Land is important resource for us to meet our basic needs for food and shelter.
Eg. Land uses – grow crops, build houses and roads, set up industries
- Population growing rapidly, increase demand of land for housing, farming, building of
industries.
- Limited amount of land in each country and scarcity of land or shortage of land cause us to
have limit to amount of land we can develop - Land constraint.
- “Population grow” and “Land needed for our needs” so “Demand for land rising” but “Land
shortage” and “Land limited” , leading to “Land constraint”
- Countries with this problem must find ways to increase land supply and use the land in best
possible way to meet needs of people.
- Land supply is fixed, limited or sometimes inhabitable so shortage of land.
Reasons for land constraints
1. Rising demand for land
- Population growth needs more land for agriculture, housing, transport, water and factories.
- Population growth
 Rapid population growth cause more land needed for human activities.
 All areas have carrying capacity (carrying maximum number of people in an area
comfortably without straining supply of resources for future use).
 When people increase, available resources are shared among more people, adding
pressure to the land.
- Increasing demand for housing
 Growing population leads to increase in demand for housing.
 More land needed to build houses for people.
Eg. New house estates developed in Singapore Punggol and Sengkang to meet increasing
demand for housing.
- Growth of industries
 The need to provide jobs for growing population is important concern for countries
around the world.
 By developing more manufacturing industry and business, more jobs created.
Eg. In Singapore, manufacturing industries take up over 10 percent of Singapore’s total
land area.
 To expand these industries more land is needed.
- Development of transport systems
 As country develops, more roads and railways have to be built.

2.  Good transport network important for movement of goods and raw materials and for
workers to travel between home and workplace.
Eg. In some city, over 20% of total land area is used for transport facilities like roads,
railways and car parks.
- Increasing demand for arable land < flat land – relief >
 To produce food to feed increasing population, country needs more arable land.
 Arable land - suitable land for growing crops
 Arable land in short supply.
Eg. Four fifth of earth land surface is unsuitable to grow crops because it is too hot, too
cold, too dry or infertile.
- Increasing demand for recreational spaces
 More people need more recreational spaces for wide range of facilities ranging from
swimming pool to golf course and theatres.
 Some land set aside for parks and nature reserves for people to enjoy and relax in.
2. Limited supply of land
- Land only 30% of land surface and many not readily available for use.
- Areas like swamp, marsh, low-lying coastal areas are constantly water-logged or flooded
with water and desert too dry and hot to be used. (Not arable)
- Land can also be damaged through mining or poor farming practices. (Not useful if left in
original state )
- Even if land suitable for human use, some are reserved for military purposes or collecting
water.
Eg. Collect water – water catchment area, areas of forest to collect and channel rainwater
into reservoirs
Eg. Military purpose – training area for soldiers
Eg. In Singapore, half of total land set aside for military and water collection purposes so
only left limited land for industry and housing.
Responses to Rising demand for land
- Rising demand for limited land leads to competition between groups of people and people
will have to decide the use of the land.
- If land used in one way, not possible for another purpose.
Eg. If a land used for natural reserve, cannot build more houses.
- The cost of not being able to use the same piece of land for the next best use is called
opportunity cost.
Eg. Opportunity cost is not having more land for housing.
- Land constraint need to be managed properly or will have problems.
Eg. Increased competition cause conflict between different groups of people as some may
not be able to use the land as intended.
- Responses to rising demand for land : Increasing price of land , increasing supply of land ,
conserving land

3. - Increasing the price of land
 Land area available for use in country or city (also called supply) is limited.
 When demand increase, available land area (supply) cannot meet with increase in
demand, price of land may increase.
 Some users willing to pay higher for available land and this push up the price of the land.
 They way prices for goods and services are set based on their demand are called price
mechanism.
Eg. In central Tokyo, rent of one bedroom apartment cost more than $1600 a month
because the land in city area is in high demand for limited supply of land and usually
very expensive.
 Increasing price of land is one way to tackle rising demand for land as it discourage some
people from using land, thus reducing demand.
- Increasing the supply of land ( Land clearance, Land reclamation , maximizing use of existing
land)
 Land clearance
To increase amount of land to meet with demand
Fastest and easiest way
Process whereby empty plots of land are created for various land uses
Carried out by demolishing old buildings or by clearing forest (deforestation)
Effectiveness – when a piece of land cleared, it can be developed for other uses.
Eg. Old buildings cleared or forest demolished free up land to build new buildings
and facilities.
Negative impact – during deforestation, habitats of animals and plants destroyed
and some of them may die while some even become extinct. This leads to negative
consequences for the entire food chain.
 Land reclamation
Increase land supply by creating dry land from area covered by water
Eg. Swamp, lake or sea
Process of recovering land that is damaged or abandoned to make it usable again
Common ways : landfill , empoldering , reclaiming derelict land
Effectiveness: Many countries successfully increase land area through land
reclamation but there are limitations to how much more land country can reclaim.
1. Current technology only allows reclamation up to 15m high. Cost a lot more for
deeper waters because more sand needed to fill area. Problem worse if not enough
sand in country and need to obtain somewhere else. Buying sand increase overall
cost.
2. for countries surrounded by others, there is limit to amount of land that can be
reclaimed because cannot extend too far out into sea without entering
neighbor’sterritories. There is also limited sea space for shipping activities.
Negative impact on environment: coastal habitats (Eg. Mangrove swamps, beaches)
destroyed by land reclamation, marine life and birds living in them affected.

4.  Land fill
Create dry land from swampy areas, marshes , and shallow parts of the sea
The areas are drained and filled with material (Eg. Sand) to form dry land
Stages :
1. Columns of sand called piles are forced into the soft clay of the seabed to make it
more stable. (Using machines)
2. A sand wall is built around the area to reclaim to keep sea water out. Sand is
loaded into the sea outside the wall to be stored until further use. (Using boat)
3. The sand previously loaded into the sea is sucked and pumped into the enclosed
area. (Ships spread the sand in enclosed area while boat with machine sucks sand)
4. The sand is compressed by rollers and a granite wall is built on the side facing the
sea to prevent the area from being eroded by waves.
5. Tress and other vegetation are grown or planted on reclaimed land to prevent soil
erosion and land is left to rest. The number of years the land needs to rest depends
on how this land will be used.
Singapore is an example to use landfill to reclaim land.
 Empoldering
Method of reclaiming land from sea
Involves use of polders , also a way to control floods
Polders – piece of land in a low-lying area that has been reclaimed from a body of
water by building dikes and drainage canals.
Usually carried out in low-lying coastal areas but can apply to further inland such as
lakes
Common in countries that lies below sea level and is prone to flooding
Eg. Netherlands one fifth land is reclaimed from sea. Most successful project called
Zuider Zee.
Polders features: enclosed by dikes to keep sea or river water out, dikes protect
polder from erosion, continually maintained by systems of drainage canals and
pumps to prevent them from becoming water-logged. (suitable for cultivation)
Stages :
1. Dike constructed around area to be reclaimed to keep water from coming in.
2. Area drained using pumps and drainage canals.
3. Reeds, a type of plant are sowed by aircrafts to help soil form
4. After 3 years, reeds are burnt and fertile ash act as fertilizers for the soil.
5. After up to 15 years, polder ready for growing crops, building houses and
constructing roads.
 Reclaiming derelict land
Natural disasters (Eg. Forest fire, severe floods) or human activities can cause
damage to land.
The land will then be no longer useful for certain activities.
Damaged land is known as derelict land.
Causes :
1. Improper farming practices

5. Eg. Fertility of arable land can be lost through poor farming practices. As crops grow,
they take up nutrients from the soil. Different harvests of crops are grown too
quickly after one another and insufficient time for soil to regain nutrients, hence
losing soil fertility.
Eg. Excessive ploughing of land cause large amount of soil erosion as soil structure
loosens, making it prone to erosion by water. Nutrients are lost and soil no longer
suitable for cultivation.
2. Mining activities
While mining an area for mineral ores, vegetation and soil have to be removed
because minerals are found in the ground. Enormous holes are dug and form
dangerously deep mining pools when they become filled with rainwater. Heaps of
mining waste is left behind and it produces poisonous substance that contaminates
soil.
Reclaimed by :
1. Making it arable again
Eg. When derelict land form due to poor farming practices,fertilizers can be added
to the soil to restore nutrients removed.
2. Clearance
Eg. If by mining activities, damage greater and more work needed. Waste heaps
need to be leveled out and mining pools filled. Chemicals used to treat
contaminated soil and new vegetation planted as protective cover against soil
erosion.
After reclaim :
Mining land can be used for agriculture, industry, housing, and recreation.
Eg. Mine restored for recreation – Malaysia Sunway Lagoon Theme Park
 Maximizing use of existing land
Making full use of land
Improvements in technology allow people to live in environments that were
previously unsuitable for living.
Land use maximized as land not suitable before can now be used to build houses or
used for agriculture.
Maximizing urban land use
 In urban areas, popularity density very high so great competition for land.
 Mixed land use :
 Result of land use planning
 Land use planning – process by which different areas on a piece of
land are assigned different land uses
 Traditionally, cities are planned on ones and each zone one function.
(Eg. Industrial, commercial, housing, leisure) People travel long
distances in order to get from one zone to another.

6. In order to allow for land to meet needs of more users, countries
develop mixed land use projects where combination of shopping
malls,offices,houses, hotels in one area.
 Various land uses are usually packed in a small area, linked by
pedestrian walkways and escalators.
 In London and Singapore, this project developed in small scale.
Eg. Singapore – Suntec City (offices, shops, hotels all within walking
distance of one another)
 Advantages –
1. Many facilities located within walking distance so people enjoy
convenience of having homes, jobs, wide range of services within
same area.
2. Variety of activities carried out within area meet needs of more
users, thus maximizing urban land use.
 Disadvantages –
1. In many cities, creation of mixed land use areas require much
construction and reconstruction of new and old building and
transport network. Can be costly.
2. Locating residential areas close to other functions (Eg. Industries,
shopping areas) may lead to traffic congestion, noise and air
pollution due to increased amounts of human and vehicle traffic.
 High density building :
 Technology advances over years enable taller buildings constructed
where land in scarce and in high demand.
 These areas are high density areas because there is too many
people working or living per unit area.
Eg. HDB in Singapore plan to build 30 storeys or more in order to
maximize land use. Most of the flats located in more established
housing estates. (Eg. Bishan, Toa Payoh, close to city centre like
Tanjong Pagar)
 Advantages –
1. More people can work or be housed in small piece of land. This
frees up scarce land for other use. (Eg. Conservation as nature
reserves or military training areas)
2. Helps reduce rate at which country’s remaining green space
developed.
 Disadvantages –
1. Large number of people in small area results in crowded
environment, traffic congestion; higher noise levels that increase
stress level among people and reduce quality of their life.
Maximizing agricultural land use
 Look for land to grow more food crops to feed increasing populations.
 Irrigation :

7.  Watering of crops by artificial means , allow farmers to grow crops
in areas with water shortage , and ensure their crops receive just
the right amount of water
 Water channeled through irrigation pipes from certain water source
(Eg. River , lake , places to where water is scarce)
 Advantages –
1. Ensures regular supply of water, allow farmers to grow greater
amounts and wider variety of crops.
2. Maximize the use of land as area previously unsuitable for
cultivation is now made arable.
3. Computerized irrigation system water plants automatically and
efficiently, reducing need for human labor.
 Disadvantages –
1. If not proper maintains, irrigation canals can hold stagnant water
and lead to breeding sites for bacteria, mosquitos and other pest.
2. With poor drainage, irrigation causes land to become water-
logged and damage crops.
3. River water used for irrigation contain large amount of dissolved
mineral salts that damage crops.
4. Can be expensive to construct especially if a dam needs to be
built across a waterway to make a reservoir.
 Terracing :
 Arable and flat land limited (Eg. Japan).
 Hilly areas unsuitable for farming because of steep slopes cause
water to run off the slopes very quickly and very little water
retained in soil and plants will not grow well. Rain also erode soil
and wash away nutrients and plants not enough water or nutrients
to grow well. Difficult to operate modern farm machinery on steep
slopes.
 Cultivation on slopes made possible by terracing.
 Terracing – involves creating flat strips of land by cutting series of
steps into hill slopes.
 Increase supply of arable land as flat land more favorable for
cultivation.
 Characteristic: low walls built at end of each step, walls called bunds
help to slow down runoff of rainwater so it can seep into soil and
absorbed by plant roots, walls of terraces hold water in enclosed
area and created flooded conditions needed for growing crops (Eg.
Padi)
 Advantages –
1. Inexpensive method of increasing area of arable land
2. Bunds used in terracing prevent soil from being washed away
3. Strips of flat land created by terracing also make it possible for
modern machinery to be used, making farming more efficient
 Disadvantages –

8. 1. Terraces are hard to construct and a lot of human labor, energy,
time needed to cut steps into hill slopes
2. a lot effort needed to maintain terraces after they are
constructed. If bunds damaged, they may not hold the soil back,
resulting in soil erosion.
 Soil-less farming :
 Maximize land for agriculture by growing crops without soil
 Enable crops to be grown closer together , maximizing land use for
agricultural purpose
 Without soil agriculture – soil-less farming
Eg. Hydroponics, aeroponics
 Advantages –
1. Plants grown by soil-less farming can be grown closer together
and more crops can be grown on a single area of land at the same
time.
2. Found to be effective in increasing output of crops as sufficient
nutrients is delivered and distributed evenly at regular intervals.
The controlled conditions also prevent growth of weeds or insects.
 Disadvantages –
1. Farmers must invest in high technology equipment and specially
prepared nutrient solution for plants which may be too costly for
farmers without enough funds.
2. May not be practical in countries where farmers do not receive
enough training to enable them to operate high technology
equipment
- Conserving Land
 As country develops, demand for land to build house, industries and other facilities will
naturally increase.
 While these developments benefit people, country’s forest and other nature areas
should be protected.
 Government need to make plans for conserving land.
 Conserving land – careful use of land resources to ensure that damage is kept to the
minimum
 One way to conserve land is to set aside land as nature reserves where land is carefully
managed to protect wildlife , plants , other natural features and provide special
opportunities for study or research
Eg. In Singapore, 5% of total land area is set aside as nature reserve.
Eg. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve located at northwestern coast of Singapore. Home to
126 species of birds only found in the area and protected for its natural heritage.
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