The timing of adoptions of land-use plans and regulations in Pennsylvania localities

Objective. This article explores the relationship between the timing of land-use tool adoptions and local growth. Methods. Land cover data, census data, and information about land-use tools were merged for all Pennsylvania minor civil divisions (MCDs) for the period 1975/1980 to 1990/1992. First, the extent to which growth was absorbed in MCDs without land-use tools was assessed. Second, the importance of structural changes for distinguishing new adopters and nonadopters was analyzed using a subset of MCDs. Results. Both the aggregate- and MCD-level analyses suggested that nonadoptions under growth pressure were not widespread. Growth was not a necessary condition, however, for adoption. Conclusions. The findings support an emphasis on outreach aimed at improving the effective use of existing tools, but suggest that the importance of improving the capacity of MCDs without tools is increasing with population decentralization.