Debates in rural land planning policy: a twentieth century history from New York State

Abstract

Rural land planning has attracted much recent interest in the United States. Planners are largely unaware, however, that such planning has a legacy that stretches through the century. This paper presents an account of the history of such planning in New York State, an area where much planning occurred that was both original and innovative. It highlights the ideas encompassed in plans prepared for the state as a whole, focusing on how plans viewed the changing spatial form of the state, and the issue of which level of government should hold primary control for planning. What is revealed is a pattern of debate, consistency and change. The themes of the debate focused on the inevitability of changes in the rural landscape, with the polar positions accepting and challenging the abandonment of rural land with the advancement of industrial capitalism, and the role of local government control in this schema. The metamorphosis in planning ideas is linked to the changing nature of the planning profession. Lessons learned from this history center on the role of the planner and the plan, and the place of vision in planning. While almost all of the issues this history address remain unresolved in theory and practice, the actual circumstances of rural places seem to demand daring rather than timid responses.