Leading scholar to talk at UF about land use in Florida

February 12, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida School of Natural Resources and Environment is hosting the nation’s leading land-use scholar, Soji Adelaja, on Feb. 20 for a seminar on emerging trends and policy innovations in land use and the implications for Florida.

“Florida is perhaps the best-positioned state in the nation to attract good growth and deter bad growth. It has the ability to create the type of state it wants to be, but in order to do that lawmakers must understand the changing nature of land use,” said Adelaja, a new addition to the External Advisory Council, one of the school’s governing bodies. The presentation will be held at 3 p.m. in the President Room C in Emerson Alumni Hall. The seminar is free and open to the general public.

Adelaja is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy and director of the Land Policy Institute (LPI) at Michigan State University. LPI is Michigan’s leading resource for policy makers in the growing struggle to balance growth and sustainability. In his seminar, “Critical Emerging Issues in Land Use and the Role of the Land Grant University,” Adelaja will share his stories of recent success with the LPI and explain the importance of bridging the gap between universities and local policy makers. He will also address the consequences of poor land use planning, its impact on agricultural, suburban and urban areas and how Florida can mitigate these challenges.

“Our old strategies in land use have not necessarily worked to build prosperous communities, but have in fact accelerated the erosion of various strategic advantages that American communities, cities, and states have,” Adelaja explains. “We must focus on the principles of place making and the important role that the academic and planning communities play in building a sustainable state.”

For more about Adelaja’s speech or SNRE, contact Patrick Heck at heckpt@ufl.edu or 352-392-7622.