American Dream

The New York Times says that developers say they need eminent domain to do the downtown revitalizations that major cities have come to expect. Revitalizations such as Baltimore's Inner Harbor were done with eminent domain and developers say they would not have been possible without at least the threat of eminent domain.

In other words, if you can't use eminent domain to take people's property, you will get urban sprawl because developers will only place large developments where they can get large parcels from voluntary sellers, and that means near the urban fringe. No wonder the American Planning Association supports the Supreme Court's Kelo decision.