Land Lines July 2006
Features
Costs, Benefits, and Public Policy
The practice of demolishing and replacing houses, especially in high-priced areas, generates passionate controversy. The trick for local governments is to keep the costs of teardown activity from overwhelming the less obvious benefits.
Facing a New Reality
Maryland’s smart growth programs are interesting and highly regarded for a number of reasons, but a new initiative, Reality Check Plus: Imagine Maryland, is helping to push the land use planning and reform process even further.
Challenges for Latin America
When focusing on property tax performance, the major cause of concern is not so much informality itself, but the way public officials treat informality and how they administer a property tax system.