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Assignment #2: Local Growth Management Case Study

Background

American cities have taken a wide variety of approaches in managing growth that range from actively encouraging low density sprawl to active growth management. A complex variety of factors influence the type, rate, and timing of development of communities.

Your Assignment

Select a community and complete a case study evaluation of growth and the community’s response to it. Specifically your analysis should include:

• Basic physical and geographic information on the city (population, area, topography, etc)
• Development trends (building permits issues, population/employment growth, etc)
• Local policies regulating development
• An evaluation of the effectiveness of development policies and whether those policies constitute a cohesive "growth management program."

I expect you to comment on what you think your community did right, what it did wrong, and what other efforts it might take to manage growth more effectively.

Data Sources

The availability of data should be a consideration in the community you select. Most cities have Web sites now, many have their comprehensive plans and zoning codes on line. I also suggest that you review the Census Current Construction Reports for data on building permits, the Census of Population & Housing for demographic data, and other standards sources. It wouldn’t hurt to correspond with a local planner, representatives of the development community, and local non-profit organizations that focus on growth and development issues.

Assignments are due on Wednesday, May 17.

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April 26, 2000