Politics, institutions and local land-use regulation

This article investigates the factors that account for second-generation land-use restrictions that result from comprehensive planning processes. After a review of the evolution of growth management policy in the US variation among Florida counties in the adoption of development impact fees and regulatory complexity is examined. Political system institutions were found to be related to growth management policies as predicted by distributive theories of urban politics. In particular, elected mayor-commission government was linked to growth management. These results indicate that second-generation land-use regulation may be driven as much by the political incentives of local actors as the preferences of the median voter.