The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, near Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass., conducts research and demonstration projects, holds conferences, provides education and training, and publishes books and reports on policy issues relating to land. Founded in 1974, the Lincoln Institute provides analysis and evaluation in planning and urban form, tax policy, and international land policy, with special emphasis on Latin America and China.

TOPICS

The Department of Planning and Urban Form, led by Armando Carbonell, examines the relationship between planning and the built environment, including regionalism and regional planning, best practices in planning, land conservation, density, smart growth, property rights, and large land development projects. One key emerging area is the land policy dimension of climate change, both in mitigation, such as climate action plans developed by cities, and adaptation, including new management strategies in land conservation.

The Department of Valuation and Taxation examines all aspects of tax policy as it relates to land, including land taxation, property taxation, tax limitation measures, tax-increment financing, and the valuation process. Led by Joan Youngman, the department is active in such issues as the use of property tax to fund schools, tax measures to promote land conservation, and the development of property tax systems in Africa.

The Department of International Studies is concerned with land policy in countries beyond the US, with a major focus on China and Latin America. The Program on the People?s Republic of China, directed by Joyce Man in Beijing, conducts research, educational programs, and demonstration projects on rapid urbanization, emerging market forces, farmland conversion, and property tax policy in China. Topics in the Program on Latin America and the Caribbean, led by Martim O. Smolka, include the regularization of informal land markets, informal settlement, the management of land value increments, and property tax policies in that region.

PUBLICATIONS AND FILMS

The Lincoln Institute publishes books and policy focus reports that document conference proceedings and research by its faculty, fellows, and research associates. The current publications catalog lists more than 85 titles. More than 450 working papers are available online for free downloading. The quarterly magazine Land Lines features articles on a wide range of land use and tax policy topics. The Institute has also produced three documentary films in the Making Sense of Place film series, on Phoenix, Cleveland, and Portland.

COURSES, WORKSHOPS, RESOURCES AND TOOLS

Online courses and workshops, seminars and conferences held across the country reflect the Lincoln Institute?s continuing dedication to education and training, for practitioners, policymakers, journalists, and citizens.

The Institute is also a major clearinghouse, source of data and analysis, and resource for information, analysis and policy evaluation. Resources on our website include Regional Collaboration, Significant Features of the Property Tax database, Property Taxation and Valuation Library, Resolving Land Use Disputes, Managing State Trust Lands, Visual Tools for Planners, and Visualizing Density.

OUR WEBSITE

At www.lincolninst.edu, users have access to in-depth detail in all these areas, as well as the News and Events section, which includes At Lincoln House, a monthly column with information on upcoming events; Lincoln Institute in the News, including articles and essays related to work by the Lincoln Institute; and the Pressroom -- a list of reports and press releases, and a Sourcebook listing of experts.