Connecting Land and Water Planning in Colorado

Abstract

Water scarcity is a significant threat to urban and regional planning. Water scarcity has challenged planners to respond to the problem in an important but previously overlooked way. Although the connection between land and water planning has not been adequately recognized in planning education and research, some governments have begun to manage the two natural resources together. Drawing upon the literature on integrated policy approach and policy implementation, this article presents a summary of policy actions in the past decade aimed at better integrating land use and water resource planning in Colorado. This article also contributes to broader debates on mediating the divide between land use and water management.