Connecticut Planning Quarterly. A Planner’s Resolution for the New Year: Create Opportunities for Our Communities

Many within the land use profession have lamented the lack of vision and time required to incorporate “smart” or “sustainable” growth measures into our state’s heavily regulated land use process. Well, times change, and change often presents opportunity. Today’s unique economic climate makes it possible to create opportunities, through our land use process, to promote meaningful and “responsible” growth for our communities.

Within the past few years land use professionals, legislators and concerned citizens across the state have spent significant time exploring regulatory measures that may be implemented by municipal, regional and state agencies to more effectively promote and manage growth. There have been blue ribbon commissions, task forces, and working groups that have analyzed and evaluated “smart” or “responsible” growth, “effective growth management,” or “sustainability” regulatory tools (choose your preferred term) that have a history of success in other parts of the country.