More than 25,000 local and regional governments in the United States play a role in making land use decisions that have become increasingly complicated and combative as diverse stakeholders voice their interests and concerns. Every day, public officials must make challenging decisions involving land that impact open space, economic development, transportation, and countless other issues. These decisions may affect the built environment, the landscape, the quality of life, and the economy for decades or even centuries. How officials make these decisions influences the way community members interact with one another and whether they work as a cohesive or a divided group