| In contemporary society, land use planning is crucial to protecting community integrity and open space from the pressures of sprawl. Poor planning often produces societal problems, such as economic decline, a burden on taxpayers, an overall lower quality of life, and a strain natural resources. Protecting the land, a natural resource that spreads across multiple governmental jurisdictions, requires regional cooperation. Such cooperation faces significant challenges in Pennsylvania, due to the state's complex system of local planning and governance. In 2000, state legislators made changes to the Municipal Planning Code that encouraged municipalities to improve land use outcomes by working together to create multi-municipal plans. Recent research shows that many regions have drafted these plans, but few have implemented them to the full extent of the law. This study asks why so few drafted multi-municipal plans reach the stage of implementation. My hypothesis is that land development activity and public support for planning determine whether multi-municipal plans are implemented. Specifically, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative research, I argue that trends in development pressure and level of public support for the planning process have a significant impact on the implementation of multi-municipal plans. This research has implications for determining how lawmakers, interest groups and citizens can foster the implementation of multi-municipal plans to produce responsible and more socially just land use outcomes. |
