The landscape of Charlestown is dominated by forests, wetlands (many of which are protected areas) and its popular ocean view with sparse commercial or industrial development.

Correlating the landuse map with the zoning map, one can see that there is an excess of commercially and industrially zoned land indicating the Town's slow growth in these two areas. In contrast, much of the town is zoned for residential development. This would lead to a loss of much of its forested areas, and could stress the town's currently excellent quality ground water supply.

According to its Comprehensive Plan, Charlestown is most concerned with "protecting the natural and cultural resources and rural character of the town while providing the housing, economic base, and services necessary for the broad range of residents to enjoy the high quality life associated with the town."

In order to do this they have expressed an interest in taking a regional approach to landuse planning; taking into consideration the landuses of the surrounding towns and groups such as the Narragansett Tribe.

There is an important link between the land use plan and the Town's zoning regulations. The regulations set forth by zoning laws indicate how the land could be developed and therefore should reflect the wishes of the town.