What is "land-use efficiency" and which indicators help measure it?

• A. Land-use efficiency is about maximizing paved surfaces; indicators include road length per capita.
• B. Land-use efficiency assesses how effectively land resources are used to support economic and social activity; indicators include employment density, housing density, mixed-use index, and transit accessibility.
• C. It only concerns agricultural land.
• D. It is measured by number of parks per square kilometer.

Answer: (B)

Land-use efficiency means using land resources in a city to support economic and social activity as effectively as possible, not just maximizing one feature. It’s about how densely and intelligently land is developed to enable people to work, live, and access services with minimal waste of space. The indicators reflect this broader use: employment density shows how many jobs are packed into a given area, revealing the intensity of economic activity; housing density measures how many housing units share the same space, indicating residential development and potential for walkable neighborhoods; a mixed-use index captures how evenly a area combines living, working, and shopping uses, which supports shorter trips and vibrant streets; and transit accessibility assesses how easily people can reach work, services, and amenities by public transit, highlighting efficient land use that reduces car dependence. Together, these metrics describe how well land is organized to maximize activity and accessibility.

The other options miss this broader view. Focusing on paved surfaces emphasizes a single land feature rather than how land supports activities; restricting to agricultural land ignores urban patterns and social/economic dimensions; measuring parks per area looks at a single amenity and doesn’t capture overall efficiency or accessibility.