Some General Findings from Severance Studies

Case Studies Analysis of the experience of land parcels partially taken for high­ way right-of-way ordinarily involves investigation of individual takings — the case study approach. For example, Figure 1 shows what happened from a period before the highway went through a property until a part of the remainder is sold. When this happens, when any part of the remainder is sold, it becomes possible to make a preliminary com­ parison of land values. The per acre value of the parcel which sold can be compared with the per acre value of the entire parcel at the time of the taking. Such a comparison is obviously not conclusive. It compares per acre values of parcels sold, parcels which may be more or less desirable than the entire property. Since such a comparison shows what happened to land values rather than to owners, it does not show whether owners were benefitted or damaged. The main advantage of such a comparison is that it permits some tentative findings about highway effects in those