The Netherlands and Florida: Two Growth Management Strategies

Planning in Europe and the United States uses very different points of departure to address similar spatial goals. More specifically, the strategies employed to curb or prevent urban sprawl by the Netherlands and Florida, both considered in their respective contexts to have highly developed planning systems, are very different. In order to compare the planning systems of the two states, this study employs the concept of 'planning doctrine' as a base of analysis. The concept sheds light on the composition, character, potentials and shortcomings of both systems. Moreover, it provides a framework by which to assess the development of planning style in both systems.