Research Projects

Local Land Use Disputes: Prevention, Management and Resolution

Start Date:
End Date:

Researchers
Lawrence Susskind, Ona Ferguson, and Patrick Field

Description
JOINT VENTURE partnerships
Consensus Building Institute (CBI), Cambridge, Massachusetts

Where to site a building? What requirements to include in
a wetlands law? How much of a density bonus to give for
affordable housing? These are the types of questions that
local land use boards confront daily. Their success at answering
these questions efficiently and effectively depends
on the nature and scope of issues raised and the process
used to make a decision. With most land use decisions, the
issues raised are simple and the decision-making process
goes smoothly. In a smaller number of cases, however,
where issues are more complex and intertwined, a decision
can quickly become controversial and spiral out of control,
and frequently consume a tremendous amount time and
energy. This research for a forthcoming book explores
what makes local land use decisions controversial and what
procedural tools are available to improve their outcomes.