Cases and Materials on Land Use (American Casebook Series)

This casebook covers the entire range of land use law and related constitutional and environmental issues. The 8th edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect new caselaw as well as legislative and regulatory trends at the federal, state, and local levels. The 8th edition reflects modern land use policy goals, which include, among others, promoting sustainable development and addressing the extensive impact that land use segregation has had on the distribution of wealth in this country. Chapter One, which sets the stage for the rest of the book, includes nuisance law, restrictive covenants, with new cases on racial covenants and common interest communities, and the development and legal underpinnings of legislative zoning and comprehensive planning. Chapter Two covers the basics of zoning and the classic approach to zoning changes, flexible modern techniques, such as conditional zoning, floating zones, and planned unit developments, the process through which zoning changes are made, and the complexities of non-conforming uses, vested rights, and development agreements. Chapter Three examines federal constitutional issues in land use law, including challenges arising under the Takings Clause, the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses, and the First Amendment. This Cha(more...)