Evaluating local coastal zone land use planning capacities in California

Local jurisdictionsʹ coastal zone land use plans play an important role in protecting critical coastal resources and ensuring coastal communitiesʹ sustainable development. This study extends the previous national and regional measurement systems to local coastal zone land use planning. This study evaluates 46 California local jurisdictionsʹ coastal zone land use plans and analyzes the factors influencing local coastal zone land use planning capacities. The descriptive results show that planning quality varied widely in scope and content, and did not fully utilize available coastal management tools and mechanisms to influence local development patterns. The regression results further highlight the influence of planning capacity, public participation, environmental sensitivity, and contextual characteristics. Six policy recommendations are provided to improve local coastal zone land use planning capacities.