Princeton University

PRIOR is pleased to announce the release of its latest publication, "Land and Power: The Impact of Eminent Domain in Urban Communities."

The publication is the result of a conference co-sponsored by PRIOR and the Penn Institute for Urban Research, in which scholars, students, advocates, and experts in land use law, planning and development convened to analyze a broad span of issues surrounding eminent domain in the wake of the 2005 Kelo v. City of New London U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
The ruling set a precedent allowing local governments to seize people’s homes and businesses under the Fifth Amendment— even against their will — for private economic development so long as it benefits the community as a whole. The conference placed particular emphasis on the ruling’s impact on the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania regions.
 “Land and Power” features three essays by conference speakers that address the impact of Kelo in the tri-state area; how groups and actors have misused the Kelo decision to advance individual agendas; and how media portrayals of eminent domain have influenced public opinion.
 An introduction by Thomas Hale, a Princeton politics Ph.D. candidate, provides an overview of Kelo’s impact, current and futures issues in the tri-state area and the role of the media. Richard Keevey, director of the Policy Research Institute for the Region, authored the report’s preface.
 The Policy Research Institute for the Region was established to bring together policy makers in the local New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania region with researchers and students from the University and other institutes to address pressing policy issues and new, focused research. 
 For more information about the report please contact Georgette Harrison at gharriso@princeton.edu.