DVRPC has tracked regional land use changes and the preservation of land for decades. Since 1970, DVRPC has produced land use files derived from aerial photography in our nine-county region. Starting in 1990, these digital land use files have been produced every five years using Computer Assisted Mapping and Geographic Information Systems software. Methods and technology were updated for the 2000 inventory and subsequent releases. Although reasonable comparisons can be drawn between DVRPC's land use files produced in 2005 or later, users should be cautious when comparing these later files to earlier land use data, particularly within specific developed land use categories and/or specific municipalities.

DVRPC also maintains an inventory of protected public and private open space in the region. The inventory tracks all publicly owned open space, and preserved farmland and nonprofit-protected open space (both of which are typically still owned by private landowners). States, counties, municipalities, and nonprofits (such as land trusts and conservancies) may purchase a parcel of land outright for preservation or purchase the development rights to the parcel. Purchase of development rights is common for farmland, enabling the farmer landowner to continue working on the land. Outright purchase of the parcel (not just development rights but full ownership of the parcel) can be accomplished by both public and private entities. Funding sources for land conservation vary, but public entities typically use tax funds, while nonprofits may use a combination of public and private sources, including income and estate tax deductions.