The Use of Education to Improve Local Land Use Policy-Making and Promote Sustainable Development in Coastal Michigan

Richard K. Norton, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Elizabeth Brabec, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan
Michael Klepinger, Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan State University

Professors Norton and Brabec and Mr. Klepinger received funding through CLOSUP's Major Projects Program (FY 2003) to support an interdisciplinary team working from scholarly traditions in state and local planning and governance, landscape architecture, and extension-based education and outreach.

Abstract:
The goal of this project is to evaluate current land-use planning based adult education efforts taking place in Michigan, and to lay the foundation for an extended research program that will address efforts to promote sustainable development in coastal Michigan. From a theoretical perspective, the research will contribute to current debates on state and local policy-making in the realm of natural resource management by testing hypotheses drawn from competing analytical frameworks. In addition, the work will focus explicitly on the role played by local elected and appointed officials, address explicitly the effects of education on policy outcomes, and evaluate the effects of those policy outcomes on landscape outcomes. All of these specific foci represent significant gaps in the current literature.