The mission of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute is to serve the public interest as an interdisciplinary, non-partisan forum for land use and environmental issues in the Rocky Mountain West.

   History

Established in 1992 for the purpose of undertaking education and research programs on legal and public policy issues related to land use and development, the Institute is widely recognized for its interdisciplinary conferences, workshops, research projects, and nationally marketed publications and videos.  The first annual land use conference was held in 1992 and by 1999 had grown to 700 participants, making it the largest land use law conference in the country. The first environmental conference was held in 1998 and has been followed by a variety of specialized conferences and symposiums held throughout the Rocky Mountain West.
 

   Organization

The Institute operates under the guidance of both regional and national advisory boards, the members of which are leading academics and practitioners in the fields of law, planning, development, and design. The board is governed by two officers, the Chairman of the Board and the President, both appointed by the Dean of the University of Denver’s College of Law. The Institute’s day to day activities, publications, education, research and outreach programs are managed by an Executive Director with the assistance of support staff.

   Activities

RMLUI conferences and workshops reflect the varied perspectives, interests and disciplines involved in the land use and development process and are structured to promote constructive dialogue and cooperation in formulating creative solutions to pressing land use problems. Institute programs typically involve the leading academics, lawyers, planners, developers, homebuilders, and government officials who are influential in shaping the land development process at the regional and national levels.

Institute research projects and publications have received national recognition for their contribution to the formulation of creative designs and strategies for addressing critical issues
in the land development process. Research projects bring together renowned land use experts and leading practitioners in the interdisciplinary analysis of competing models and techniques for dealing with issues involved in land use and development.

The Institute furthers its educational mission with maximum interaction with students attending Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver. This ongoing relationship with students interested in Land Use Planning Law allows them to actively participate and assist the Institute in various capacities ranging from editing, co-authoring and researching materials for annual publications, to assisting with the coordination of the annual conference.  In return, the Institute provides students with an unparalleled support base offering direct access to practitioners in the field, a network of contacts which aid to enhance post-graduate job placement, an annual award to those students who have achieved the highest grades in Land Use Planning Law courses in that academic year, as well as providing support for the student Land Use Law Society.