Small plant growing through asphalt
Land Use Law Center

About Us

Established in 1993, the Land Use Law Center at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is dedicated to fostering the development of sustainable communities through the promotion of innovative land use strategies and collaborative decision-making techniques, as well as leadership training, research, education, and technical assistance.

Through its many programs, the Center offers municipalities, land use leaders, citizens, advocates, planners, attorneys, real estate industry leaders, and other land use professionals assistance that enables them to achieve their development and conservation goals. Its activities provide opportunities for students of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University to gain in-depth, practical experience that allows them to become practice-ready attorneys serving private, public, and non-governmental clients.

Land Use Directors Tiffany Zezula and Jessica Bacher with students reviewing map

The Land Use Law Center is the preeminent center of its kind offering extensive research and consulting services; conferences, seminars, and clinics; law school courses; practitioner and citizen-leader training programs; continuing legal education programs; multimedia resources; and frequent publications on sustainable land use and community development.

The Land Use Law Center’s efforts have contributed nationally to the development of three frameworks of law: sustainable development, local environmental law, and climate change mitigation.

—Professor John R. Nolon
Founder, Land Use Law Center

The Land Use Law Center provides research, training, technical assistance, support, and strategic planning services to communities and individuals. Working with trained law students, the Center quickly, affordably, and effectively develops techniques to remedy nearly all types of land use problems that afflict urban, suburban, and rural communities.

The Center enjoys a track record of successful implementation in partnership with local land use leaders, state and federal agencies, and other change agents. It accomplishes this through its programs and catalytic demonstration projects, which cover a range of topics related to land use planning and regulation, including:

  • Local Environmental Law and Natural Resource Conservation
  • Historic Building and Agricultural Land Preservation
  • Smart Growth
  • Community Economic Development
  • Urban Revitalization
  • Fair, Affordable, and Workforce Housing
  • Vacant and Distressed Property Remediation
  • Transit Oriented Development
  • Sustainable Site and Neighborhood Development
  • Green Buildings
  • Local Wind and Solar Energy
  • Sea Level Rise
  • Community Resiliency
  • Climate Change Mitigation
  • Collaborative Decision-Making and Facilitation

Learn More About our HistoryView our Awards and AccomplishmentsFaculty and Staff