Course Details

Land Use and Local Government

This practice-based and practice-oriented course will provide an in-depth examination of the inner workings of local governments and the land development process. Taught by two local government practitioners, the course involves a review of both legal requirements and strategic elements for all of the various players (e.g., hearing bodies, corporate authorities, developers, neighboring property owners, advocacy groups, and related governmental districts) who may be engaged in a land use or zoning entitlement proceeding. The course will also review some of the tools of land development (e.g., annexation, zoning, planned developments, subdivision, TIF, economic incentives, intergovernmental agreements) and strategies for action outside of the municipal process (e.g., land use litigation and other agency review). The course will use as a tool for presenting these concepts the setting of a village board meeting to provide a practical and interactive perspective with role-playing to complement the limited reading assignments. This course is designed for any student with an interest in the practice of land use and interactions with local governments. It will focus on the practical aspects of representing local governments as well as representing those who appear before, or seek relief from, local governments. The course instructors are partners in the local government and land use area at Chicago law firms. Both taught the course with the late Professor Dawn Clark Netsch, and both provide real-time experiences of representing, and appearing before, local city councils and village boards. Evaluation Method: There will be a mock village board public hearing at the end of the semester in which all students will have a specific role to play (Mayor, developer, objector, etc), and a related single draft final paper. Grades will be based on performance in the mock village board meeting, the related paper, and class participation during the semester. Class Materials: selected excerpts from: (1) Madelker, Netsch et al., State and Local Government in a Federal System (7th Ed.)[ISBN 978-1-4224-7770-0]; and (2) Babcock, The Zoning Game [ISBN 0-299-04094-1].

Catalog Number: CONPUB 728

Course History

Spring 2023
Title: Land Use and Local Government
Faculty: Filippini, Jr., Victor P.
Elrod, Steven M.
Section: 1     Credits: 2.0
Capacity: 25     Actual: 25

Spring 2022
Title: Land Use and Local Government
Faculty: Filippini, Jr., Victor P.
Elrod, Steven M.
Section: 1     Credits: 2.0
Capacity: 25     Actual: 19

Spring 2021
Title: Local Government Practice: Land Development Process
Faculty: Filippini, Jr., Victor P.
Elrod, Steven M.
Section: 1     Credits: 2.0
Capacity: 25     Actual: 22