Motivations for Growth Revolts: Discretion and Pretext as Sources of Development Conflict
Ballot box growth revolts, where residents force a referendum to restrict new development, can have longlasting repercussions for communities. Such revolts are rare, but they shed light on long-standing discontent with local land use planning that is important for policymakers and planners to acknowledge and understand.
What are residents’ motivations for bypassing local officials and using direct democracy to fight development? UCLA researchers used qualitative methods to analyze the understudied phenomenon of discretionary review — the practice of bending land use rules in exchange for public amenities — in five Southern California communities. The study raises the possibility that cities’ increasing use of discretion might be the cause of disillusionment and conflict between officials and residents.
