Regulating Paradise

Book excerpt: Land use in Hawai‘i remains the most regulated of all the fifty states. According to many sources, the process of going from raw land to the completion of a project may well average ten years given that ninety-five percent of raw land is initially classified by the State Land Use Commission as either conservation or agriculture. How did this happen and to what end? Will it continue? What laws and regulations control the use of land? Is the use of land in Hawai‘i a right or a privilege? These questions and others are addressed in this long-overdue second edition of Regulating Paradise, a comprehensive and accessible text that will guide readers through the many layers of laws, plans, and regulations that often determine how land is used in Hawai‘i. It provides the tools to analyze an enormously complex process, one that frustrates public and private sectors alike, and will serve as an essential reference for students, planners, regulators, lawyers, land use professionals, environmental and cultural organizations, and others involved with land use and planning.