Incentives, Regulations and Plans

Book excerpt: The book will be useful to planners engaged in smart growth efforts on both sides of the Atlantic. Its strength is in the inclusion of a variety of topics and case studies relevant to growth management programs and highlighting key direct and indirect impacts of these efforts in a variety of contexts. Lucie Laurian, Growth and Change This unique book allows readers to compare analyses of how North American states and European nation-states use incentives, regulations or plans to approach a core set of universal land use issues such as: containing sprawl, mixed use development, transit oriented development, affordable housing, healthy urban designs, and marketing smarter growth. The concept of smart growth has gained in popularity in many countries around the world. From Europe to Asia to North America, planners, citizens, and policy makers have come to realize that patterns of urban development not only matter, but can affect the quality of life of every urban and rural resident. Comparing the approaches and results of policies in different locations is a logical way to assess policy success. While similarities and differences provide the foundation for trans-Atlantic comparisons, the contributions in this book focus on three central themes: smart growth, the role of states and nation-states, and the use of incentives, regulations and plans. Incentives, Regulations and Plans will find an audience in the United States, Canada and Europe, especially from those interested in architecture, planning, engineering, urban studies, agriculture and public policy.