Law Commons^™

Breaking Ground: Planning And Building In Priority Growth Districts, John R. Nolon, Jessica A. Bacher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

It is now understood that compact, mixed use development prevents the ill effects of sprawl and can mitigate climate change significantly. There is an innovative land use technique that can be used by communities to manage and define future growth in a way that provides for such developments and creates more livable places, places that are environmentally, socially, and fiscally sound. Specifically, a community may create Priority Growth Districts, or PGDs, and thereby direct development to selected locations and also specify design standards that meet the needs of the community's current and future residents.