Embargo Period

8-6-2025

Degree Name

MA in Sustainable Development

First Advisor

Aly Dagang

Abstract

Land use decisions dictate land cover, maintaining a critical relationship to climate change mitigation efforts, natural landscape conservation, and development patterns. Land-use planning efforts guide land use decisions. Truckee, California is situated in the Sierra Nevada Mountains close to Lake Tahoe, an area with expansive natural resources and recreation opportunities. Development and land-use planning in the Truckee-Tahoe area are therefore closely tied to environmental goals. Through a series of in-depth interviews, this study catalogued concerns of and challenges faced by land use, planning, and development professionals in the Truckee-Tahoe area. Primary concerns recurring for these professionals include community character, environmental impact, housing, fire and hazards, development vision, longevity, and sprawl. While these concerns are often interrelated, each emerged as a distinct topic. Challenges identified by these professionals have been organized into five primary categories; governance, community participation, competing interests, funding and incentives, and intent vs. impact. These concerns and challenges provide a view of local planning and development processes in the Truckee-Tahoe area. While climate change mitigation efforts and natural ecosystem conservation may rely on land-use decisions, land-use decisions must first address the needs of the local community. Increased regional planning focused on climate change and conservation may serve as a useful tool to integrate these broader concerns into local plans. Regardless, in the Truckee-Tahoe area, a focus on the environment is persistent in both the opinions of local actors and in local planning documents; however, progress can be hindered by state laws and the presence of diverse interests.

Disciplines

Environmental Studies | Urban Studies and Planning

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