William Elmendorf
Penn State School of Forest Resources
108 Ferguson Bldg.
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 863-7941

A classroom type program has been developed to teach participants how land use planning and regulation can be used to conserve natural resources (open space, greenways, riparian areas, woodlots). The program reviews state benefits of green infrastructure, state enabling legislation, the taking issue, comprehensive planning and plans, zoning, subdivision and land development ordinances, and official maps. Other tools discussed include conservation subdivision, transfer of development rights, planned residential development, and traditional neighborhood design. In addition, non-regulatory methods such as developer incentive and referendum are discussed.

The program has been used for a number of audiences including the Pennsylvania Planning Association, the Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Education Institute, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, the Pennsylvania Watershed Association, and local meetings of elected and appointed officials. In addition to the PowerPoint presentation, a number of participatory exercises and written information have been developed.

Participants will gain a good understanding of how comprehensive planning and land use regulation can be one of the strongest tools available to conserve natural resources in places undergoing growth and development.

PowerPoint presentation (PDF format, 3,107 kb)

Due to the large size of this presentation, the PDF is also available in four parts:

Part 1, slides 1-24 (911 kb)
Part 2, slides 25-48 (1,234 kb)
Part 3, slides 49-72 (295 kb)
Part 4, slides 73-96 (705 kb)