Land use planning in America began with a concern for the efficient allocation of land, but has shifted to a concern for procedural fairness in allocating public resources, which requires increased stakeholder participation. As outlined in this policy focus report, research has shown that consensus building produces more satisfying outcomes by preparing parties to deal with their differences in the future, gain confidence in the role of government, and empower themselves and others to take greater responsibility for land use decisions that affect them.

Published in collaboration with the Consensus Building Institute, this book calls for a mutual gains approach to land disputes. The authors detail techniques that allow stakeholders with conflicting interests to collaborate, voice concerns constructively, and reach successful agreements that benefit all parties involved in zoning, planning, and development.

As land use issues become more complex, public officials must work harder to balance the contending forces of environmental protection, economic development, and local autonomy. This guidebook, developed by the Consensus Building Institute, offers step-by-step advice on assisted negotiation based on a study of 100 local land use disputes. It addresses why and how to use assisted negotiation, the risks and preparations involved, and issues in hiring a professional mediator or facilitator.

"This course combines the theoretical framework of consensus building with exercises based on the results of the Consensus Building Institute's first comprehensive study of land use mediation in the United States. The study examined more than 100 cases of successful and unsuccessful mediation. Case discussion will include disputes over the rate and pattern of development, conflicts over infrastructure, disagreements over the cleanup of contaminated sites, and controversies over efforts to adopt new land use plans. The course materials incorporate practical experience from citizens, developers, planners, and land use mediators from across the country"--Course announcement leaflet.

Resolving a conflict is based on the art of helping people, with disparate points of view, find enough common ground to ease their fears, sheath their weapons, and listen to one another for their common good, which ultimately translates into social-environmental sustainability for all generations. Written in a clear, concise style, Resolving Environmental Conflicts: Principles and Concepts, Third Edition is a valuable, solution-oriented contribution that explains environmental conflict management. This book provides an overview of environmental conflicts, collaborative skills, and universal principles to assist in re-thinking and acting toward the common good, integrates a variety of new real-world conflicts as a foundation for building trust, skills, consensus, and capacity, and explains pathways to collectively construct a relationship-centric future, fostering healthier interactions with one another and the planet. The new edition illustrates how to successfully mediate actual environmental disputes and how to teach conflict resolution at any level for a wide variety of social-environmental situations. It adds a new chapter on water conflicts and resolutions, providing avenues to healthy, sustainable, and effective outcomes and provides new examples of conflicts caused by climate change with discussion questions for clear understanding. Land-use planners, urban planners, field biologists, and leaders and participants in collaborative environmental projects and initiatives will find this book to be an invaluable resource. University students in related courses will also benefit, as will anyone interested in achieving greater social-environmental sustainability and a more responsible use of our common natural resources for themselves and their children.