Smart growth governance in historical context: the rise and fall of states

This chapter provides an overview of the evolution of state smart growth planning in the United States over recent decades. It implicitly raises questions about social change and institutional reform. We describe the changing roles of federal, state, regional, and local jurisdictions in land-use planning. The chapter summarizes policy initiatives as they passed through succeeding waves, as American federalism encouraged innovation rather than adherence to a common template. More recent efforts include attempts to bring climate change and economic development under state and regional aegis, but often absent connection to prior experience. Furthermore, in assessing contemporary state and regional planning practice, we found that smart growth initiatives have been undergoing retrenchment. Localism and private property rights remain cherished and protected. The general welfare is being redefined. The roles of different government levels are still undergoing readjustment. Furthermore, uncertainties created by the pandemic-induced health crisis, climate change, global competition, and growing social inequalities may affect future land-use controls in unexpected ways.