This course focuses on the legal aspects of urban and regional planning from a comparative perspective. Throughout the world, legal systems enable and constrain developers, property owners, environmentalists, housing advocates, and other actors in the achievement of their visions of the good (urban) life. Planning practice is inserted in this legal field of contention. Thus, we will examine how different countries exercise public control of land use and development and the impact that these distinct legal institutions have on urban sustainability. Reading materials, class discussions, and course assignments analyze the U.S. practice of land use regulations vis-à-vis the legal-institutional context of other common and civil law countries. Topics include traditional land use issues, such as alternatives to public regulations (e.g., nuisance law), constitutional and statutory considerations of community planning, the administration of zoning and other land-use regulations, contemporary innovations on inclusionary housing, and environmental protection.
This course is pre-approved as a MUD Directed Elective in the Policy, Law, and Institutions category.
