Urban Prospect: The Kelo Paradox

On June 23, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered what was arguably its most controversial land use decision in recent memory. By upholding a Connecticut Supreme Court ruling that the City of New London and its Development Corporation had not violated the Public Use Clause of the Fifth Amendment after initiating takings proceedings against Susette Kelo and eight other property owners, the Court unwittingly politicized one of the most important instruments of local land use planning. The decision, while a seeming victory for local authorities involved in community development efforts, produced an immediate and vehement public backlash, which would ultimately yield far greater changes than the ruling itself.

Read below CHPC’s assessment of Kelo’s impact on urban planning efforts across the country.