Urban containment remains elusive

August 9, 2002

Study says policies in place rarely implemented


Inman News Features

While all U.S. metro areas have urban containment policies in place that aim to shape growth, in most cases the policies are not implemented, according to a recently released study by the Solimar Group and Brookings Institute Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policies.

The study also found that urban containment policies should be addressed at the regional level because they "almost always" affect neighboring areas, that housing availability and price are less likely to be impacted by flexible policies, and that high-density development doesn't necessarily result from the implementation of such policies because of resident and property owner influence, according to William Fulton, co-author of the study "Holding the Line: Urban Containment Policy in the United States." Rolf Pendall and Jonathan Martin also co-authored the study.

The study, which aims to clarify the impacts of containment policies, is the second in a series of Solimar/Brookings studies on the forces that shape urban growth.

Copyright: Inman News Service


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