A third regionalism : the role of the metropolitan planning organization in regional growth guidance

Over the last century, regionalism in American cities has taken many forms and has risen and fallen in popularity and effectiveness. “New Regionalism” is supported by many as the answer to many urban problems, yet it has proven to often be unsuccessful at addressing one of the most difficult of these problems—disjointed and inefficient regional growth and land use patterns. In this report, it is hypothesized that metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) are in such a position as to become coordinators and guiders of regional growth and land use patterns. Literature reviews and an original survey are performed as part of this research. The results show that MPOs can be politically and functionally capable of guiding land use, that tools are available to MPOs to influence land development patterns, and that MPOs are, in fact, beginning to focus on land use planning issues and are using their policies and programs to guide land development patterns and support a regional growth vision.