Top Ten Metros for Growth 2000-2010

[ghettopalmetto]

Not neccessarily, planning in a fragmented society is mostly to blame. When Township A competes with City B for the same piece of the pie, they are going to do what they can to attract the jobs or development to thier turf. Now Township A may have a beautiful plan, but it plans in a vaccum.

Please explain. Most localities in the United States have adopted the exact same identical model zoning regulations--which is why 90% of our nation looks exactly the same. It would reason that if most places have the same zoning regulations, then the question of a "vacuum" is irrelevant.

Whether or not localities cooperate or not has nothing to do with automobile dependency, segregated land uses, and consumption of land at a rate greater than that of population growth.

[DetroitPlanner]

Please explain. Most localities in the United States have adopted the exact same identical model zoning regulations--which is why 90% of our nation looks exactly the same. It would reason that if most places have the same zoning regulations, then the question of a "vacuum" is irrelevant.

Whether or not localities cooperate or not has nothing to do with automobile dependency, segregated land uses, and consumption of land at a rate greater than that of population growth.

Planning in a vaccum means they are out for thier own self-interest not thier neighbor's. Many planning commissions think that if they can get say the Wendy's in thier jurisdiction instead of across the street its a feather in thier cap. Most planning commissions are made up of businessmen, not people trained as planners. Wendy's may ask them for a favor, say more parking or less landscaping. Therefore you get the giant race to the bottom.

Simularities in regs don't mean a whole lot if your commissioners allow a ton of variances.

[Hermod]

Planning in a vaccum means they are out for thier own self-interest not thier neighbor's. Many planning commissions think that if they can get say the Wendy's in thier jurisdiction instead of across the street its a feather in thier cap. Most planning commissions are made up of businessmen, not people trained as planners. Wendy's may ask them for a favor, say more parking or less landscaping. Therefore you get the giant race to the bottom.

Simularities in regs don't mean a whole lot if your commissioners allow a ton of variances.

You particularly get this in states where the state sales tax is shared with the locality generating the sales tax. In other words, on a 6% "take" the locality keeps 1.5% and sends in 4.5% to the state. Localities will kill for a big box store or a a large strip mall. You won't see local resistance to Super Walmarts there.