The Use of Land-Use Planning and State Planning Mandates in Hazard Mitigation: A Comparative Evaluation of State and Local Experience

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Land use planning has been advocated widely as an approach to coping with threats posed by earthquakes and other natural hazards, but the benefits expected of planning have yet to be documented and few local governments outside of states with planning mandates have included hazards elements in their comprehensive (general) plans. State mandates provide a promising means of increasing the use and effectiveness of local planning for areas subject to natural hazards, but not much is known about their effectiveness. This is a comparative study of three states designed to contribute to improved management of natural hazards by providing answers to four critical research questions: 1. Are state comprehensive (general) planning mandates producing local government land use plans which address important hazard mitigation issues, such as specification of appropriate land uses for areas subject to natural hazards, protection of lifelines, and identification of opportunities for retrofitting? 2. To what extent are the potential benefits of land use planning for areas subject to natural hazards being realized in practice? 3. To what extent have plans and associated policies for hazardous areas been implemented through the adoption of development management regulations and other measures and the imposition of appropriate hazard mitigation conditions during development review and permitting? 4. What factors (including the presence and form of state planning mandates) are associated with variation in plan preparation and implementation among local governments? How can knowledge of those factors be used to devise and implement more effective mandates?