Climate Action and Transferable Development Rights
Zoning Practice — December 2020
By Richard Pruetz, FAICP
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Communities across the United States are using transferable development rights (TDR) to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by controlling energy-wasting sprawl, preserving resources needed for carbon sequestration, and conserving the carbon already embedded within historic landmarks. Others use TDR for climate change adaptation by protecting natural areas, safeguarding water supplies, and redirecting growth from places that are increasingly vulnerable to catastrophic events such as wildfires and sea level rise.
This edition of Zoning Practice makes the case for why communities should consider adding TDR to their climate action toolbox and explores 10 TDR programs in municipalities across the United States that have used TDR for both mitigating their greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change.
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About the Author
Richard Pruetz, FAICP
Rick Pruetz, FAICP has 45 years of planning experience. He received a Master of Urban Planning degree in 1979 and held positions in private and public planning departments for 20 years, including 14 years as the City Planner of Burbank, California. In 1999, he began a planning consultant practice preparing TDR feasibility studies, ordinances, and programs for cities and counties throughout the US. He authored six planning books including Lasting Value: Open Space Planning and Preservation Successes (APA Planners Press) and The TDR Handbook: Designing and Implementing Transfer of Development Rights Programs (Island Press) with Arthur Nelson and Doug Woodruff.