Regulation for Revenue: The Political Economy of Land Use Exactions.

• Author: Daroca, Andrea

The purpose of this book is summarized in an endorsement on the dust jacket: "Students of public finance and local governments will find the book an important and original contribution to our understanding of how land policy now occurs." The word "student" should be interpreted to mean a novice learning a subject, not an experienced observer seeking deeper insights. There is little here that is new to the practiced professional.

The authors, possessing impeccable credentials with associations at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, have done an excellent job presenting the history of land-based exactions, discussing the issues fairly and covering most aspects of many contentious matters. They fail to develop any new theories or concepts, however.

The first chapter defines exactions as conditions placed on developers to expend resources for public facilities or services as a part of receiving permits during the development process. The authors thoroughly discuss in-kind exactions, including contributed land or the construction of public facilities, as opposed to financial exactions, such as impact or development fees.

The second and third chapters review the history of zoning and subdivision regulation, leading to exactions as currently applied. Chapter four discusses the political view of "make the developer pay" within legal constraints, and chapter five reviews rising infrastructure demands. Chapters...