Ordering (and Order in) the City

Abstract:     
Over the past two decades, the "broken windows" hypothesis by George Kelling and James Q. Wilson has revolutionized thinking about urban policy. This now-familiar theory is that uncorrected manifestations of disorder, even minor ones like broken windows, signal a breakdown in the social order that accelerates neighborhood decline. The response to this theory has been a proliferation of policies focusing on public order.

Largely missing from the academic debate about these developments is a discussion of the complex and important role of property regulation in order-maintenance efforts. This Article attempts to fill that property law gap in the public-order puzzle by tackling the complicated relationship between property regulation and order-restoration efforts.

Keywords: Order maintenance, broken windows, land use, zoning, public order, urban development

JEL Classifications: H70, R14, K10, K11

Accepted Paper Series