New Center Integrates Land Use and Water Policy

A new branch of the Lincoln Institute will focus on water planning, especially in the western United States.

1 minute read

May 25, 2017, 6:00 AM PDT

By Elana Eden


Texas Drought

Lori Martin / Shutterstock

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy has launched the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, a new think tank meant to integrate water and land-use planning. Based in Phoenix, the center's mission is to "advance water sustainability through improved land use planning, management and decision making."

The Babbitt Center will work at the local level with municipalities throughout the Colorado River Basin to "gather data, develop indicators, and build and test new tools for fair, efficient, and sustainable management of water resources," according to the announcement. For example:

An initial activity will be to develop a map, using satellite imagery, for selected tributaries of the Colorado River Basin. The aim is to provide a foundation – potentially scaled up to the entire basin, serving seven states and some 30 million people – that illustrates the relationship between land and water, and can be used for better projections, modeling, and scenario planning.

The Lincoln Institute is also adjusting its partnership with the Sonoran Institute—formerly known as  Western Lands and Communities—to focus on local land-use planning and water management under the name Resilient Communities and Watersheds.

Friday, May 5, 2017 in The Daily Sentinel

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 30, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

The mayor of Baltimore speaks into a microphone in front of a rally for more state transportation funding from Maryland.

‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan

Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.

October 2, 2026 - Baltimore Sun

The largest wildlife overpass in North America stretching over the I-25. Both sides of the overpass, and the overpass itself, are covered in brown grass.

Record-breaking wildlife overpass in Colorado brings 91% reduction in animal collisions

Prior to the overpass, vehicles were hitting one deer per day on Colorado’s Interstate 25.

September 28, 2026 - CBS Colorado

An old brick apartment building in NYC.

Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify

A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.

October 3 - The City Reporter

A rendering of the waterfront development, which shows a lit-up stage by the waterfront and people walking about.

Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment

Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.

October 2 - ABC 7

The mayor of Baltimore speaks into a microphone in front of a rally for more state transportation funding from Maryland.

‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan

Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.

October 2 - Baltimore Sun

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design