The TDR Handbook

"Transfer of Development Rights" (TDR) programs allow local governments to employ economic principles to encourage good land use planning. TDR programs most often permit landowners to forfeit development rights in areas targeted for preservation and then sell those development rights to buyers who want build high-density projects in designated growth areas. The TDR Handbook is the first comprehensive guide to every aspect of TDR programs, from the thinking behind them to the nuts and bolts of implementation-including statutory guidance, model ordinances, suggestions for program administration, and comparisons with other types of preservation programs. In addition, six of its twenty chapters are devoted to case studies of all major uses to which TDR programs have been utilized to date, including protecting farmland, environmentally sensitive land, historic sites, "rural character," and urban revitalization.