Land Use Law

Catalog description

This course will provide a broad introduction to the theory, doctrine, and history of land use regulation. Topics will include the meaning of ownership; theories behind land use controls; the private nuisance action; zoning, including the permissible content of zoning laws, and contract and conditional zoning; vested rights, development agreements, and ballot box zoning; and constitutional limitations on government action in land use controls, including takings law, the First Amendment, and due process challenges. We will also consider current hot topics in land use law such as brownfields legislation, natural gas fracking, sprawl, conservation easements, historic preservation laws, endangered species legislation, and global warming litigation.