Current knowledge of the fiscal impacts of alternative land uses comes largely from cost of community services (CCS) case studies, the results of which are viewed skeptically in the literature because of numerous methodological concerns. In order to begin to fill the gap in our understanding of...

This paper explores the effects of fiscal competition on local land use. A theoretical analysis considers the tradeoff faced by a local government deciding about the amount of land made available for commercial or residential uses, when its expansion has adverse effects on the quality of life....

The term urban sprawl is often used to describe apparent inefficiencies of spatial development, including disproportionate growth of urban areas and excessive leapfrog development. In Switzerland, where open space is a scare resource, sprawl takes place all over the country. It goes at the...

"Regulatory property" is the right to engage in specified activities, made valuable by government prohibitions against competitors, and protected by de jure or de facto status as property. This Article explores regulatory property and focuses upon its applications in land use regulation. It...

Sweeping subdivision regulation reform in Houston, Texas, provides an instructive alternative to what can often seem like a no-win scenario for local planners. The circumstances surrounding the city’s 1998 reduction of minimum lot sizes for single-family homes hold important lessons for...

Many local governments have reacted to sprawl by adopting urban containment policies to limit fringe growth and encourage core development. An alternative is to design impact fee programs that account for the higher costs of providing services to remote locations. Zone-based impact fee programs...