ne of America’s most astute politicians once opined that “all politics is local.” In this new century, he would probably add that “all land use is political.”

Throughout the United States and Europe, citizens are organizing to oppose all forms of new development projects — from shopping malls and office buildings to affordable housing and even churches. The “new jobs and new taxes” that developers traditionally promise no longer have the resonance they once enjoyed. Development is no longer synonymous with progress, nor is growth necessarily perceived as good.

At the same time, many organizations now recognize the value of protecting their interests from highly aggressive competition. Businesses have discovered that it is more cost-effective to use zoning regulations to stop new market entrants than to compete with them after they’ve opened.

In all cases, local elected officials clearly understand that t