Land Use, Local Control, and Social Responsibility: The Child Care Example

ABSTRACT:

This paper argues that local land use planning needs to take its share of responsibility for social change in the community. Implicit in granting zoning powers to municipalities by the individual states is a mandate to use those powers in a socially responsible way. In those situations in which communities do not do so, many states are stepping in and responding to the needs of a growing constituency of people who feel that local land use planning is violating, not protecting, their rights to live in the community. Using child care as an example, this paper explores the growing use of state preemption of local control to achieve a socioland use purpose.