ABSTRACT
Land use in the United States is shaped by a combination of direct regulation and financial incentives targeting development. The real estate industry is regulated at local, regional, state, and federal levels of government. While the most direct control is still exercised by local zoning authorities, policy is increasingly influenced by regional and state authorities, particularly in technical aspects of project design, but also when projects are likely to create substantial economic or fiscal impact. As regional impacts of land use have received greater scrutiny, state and federal authorities have responded with additional regulation and incentive structures, sometimes with unintended consequences. As local markets are increasingly shaped by larger forces, paradoxically much new development is established under the control of non-governmental associations, devolving operational regulation to the most local level of governance.
