Are local governments in New England planning? A comparative analysis of state influence on local comprehensive planning

This study examined how three states influenced comprehensive land use planning on the municipal level in Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. First, this study found that municipalities in states with comprehensive planning programs (Maine and Rhode Island) are more likely to adopt plans than in municipalities not subject to a comprehensive planning program in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts. Next, the findings indicated that a significant difference in plan adoption rates existed between the mandated planning requirements in Rhode Island and the voluntary planning system in Maine. This finding was consistent with past research (Berke et al. 1996; Burby and May 1997) that indicated that municipalities are more likely to plan in states with comprehensive planning mandates than in states with no planning requirements.; Additionally, this study examined how the policy design of comprehensive planning programs in Maine and Rhode Island may have facilitated implementation of the programs in each state using Burby and May's (1997) analytical framework. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...