Balancing Land Use and Economic Tradeoffs of Data Centers

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Course Details

Over the past four years, data centers have gone from a niche, but normal, land use to a controversial symbol of societal change. Skyrocketing demand for new large-scale data centers presents a daunting challenge for planners. Each new development proposal carries the promise of an economic windfall and the potential for negative land use impacts for host communities. Join APA for a panel discussion about how local and regional planners can help decision-makers navigate these tradeoffs and establish a positive long-term vision for the role of data centers in local and regional economies.

 

Learning Outcomes

  • Assess your community's current planning and zoning posture on data centers — including whether they're addressed in comprehensive plans or economic development strategies, and how they'd actually be classified and reviewed under existing zoning.
  • Weigh the real opportunities and risks data centers bring to host communities — moving past common misconceptions about their land use and economic impacts.
  • Situate data center development within the broader economic development picture — understanding how it intersects with the wider challenges local and regional economies are already facing.
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