Regional planning in the US coastal zone: a comparative analysis of 15 special area plans

This article explores the concept of regional planning for US coastal programs by comparing the approaches and contents of 15 ‘regional coastal plans.’ The selected regional plans varied widely in scope and content, and utilized few available land use planning tools and techniques to influence regional development patterns. The differing approaches to regional planning in part reflected the varying institutional arrangements adopted by state coastal programs. It is argued that regional planning should play a more central role in coastal management, and that federal guidelines for the preparation of Special Area Management Plans should be developed to support enhanced regional planning through the Coastal Zone Management Act.