The state must allow local governments to voluntarily share services and raise revenue in order to stave off fiscal distress, save money on service provision and better manage development. It must also make planning mean more, through reforms to the Municipalities Planning Code. In the long term, the state must address the underlying problems facing local governments, including expanding flexibility for tax base and tax revenue sharing, and easing the costs of healthcare and pension provision.

Our Land Use initiative is focused on working with partners to advocate for strengthening regional land use planning and implementation, and at the same time, developing an education and technical assistance program to improve Pennsylvania's unique approach to multi-municipal planning. Our near-term focus is on helping communities better manage change, combat fiscal distress, and invest in the future by strengthening the role of county planning, ensuring greater consistency between plans and ordinances, and giving communities additional tools to manage sustainable growth.