New Book - Takings International: A Comparative Perspective on Land Use Regulations and Compensation Rights

Next month, the ABA Section of State & Local Government Law will be publishing a book by Professor Rachelle Alterman, Takings International: A Comparative Perspective on Land Use Regulations and Compensation Rights:

Everywhere in the world, land use law and regulation affect real property values--either increasing or decreasing them. Regulatory takings is the potential raw nerve of land use regulation, yet policymakers and civic groups have tackled the issue without the perspective that a cross-national exchange of ideologies, laws, and practices can provide.

Takings International is the first large-scale effort devoted to this controversial issue, providing a vast platform of comparative knowledge on direct, indirect, categorical, and partial takings. Written for legal professionals, academics, urban and regional planners, real estate developers, and civil-society groups, the book analyzes thirteen advanced economy countries representing a variety of legal regimes, institutional structures, cultures, geographic sizes, and population densities.

The comparative prism yields some surprising and counterintuitive observations. In a climate of intensifying controversies about property and the role of public agencies, the book enables informed debate and provides all sides with a sense of scale by which to evaluate current state practices and propose alternatives.

Takings International is available for pre-order here (SLG members get a discount!). We will post a summary and review once we get a copy.

In conjunction with publication, on April 30, 2010 as part of the Section's spring meeting in Miami, the SLG's Condemnation Committee will be presenting a session with Professor Alterman and other panelists to discuss the issues raised by the book. I will be moderating the panel.

Before the meeting, probably some time in January or February, the Condemnation Committee will also be conducting a teleconference for those who are not able to join us in Miami -- stay tuned for details.