An Evaluation of Recent Industrial Land Use Studies: Do Theory and History Make Better Practice? C. Scott Dempwolf School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation University of Maryland, College Park August 10, 2010 Abstract Industrial land, industrial location and their effect on urban form have been the subject of considerable study over the past century. The location and character of industry have redefined many urban landscapes and labor markets, and have shaped the foundations and practice of planning. The effect of industrial location on urban form remains profound. Over the past decade, an increasing number of cities and counties have undertaken detailed industrial land use (ILU) studies. These studies recognize the vital role of industrial land in the urban system. They also note the rapid loss of prime industrial land to residential and mixed use development, especially in rapidly growing cities like San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego and Washington DC. These studies find that if prime industrial land is not protected, marginal demand for residential and mixed use development can crowd out industrial uses, negatively affecting all users. This paper reviews the methods, issues, findings and recommendations of over 20 industrial land use studies from cities and counties across the U.S. From these a composite framework for future ILU studies is proposed. This research also finds that most ILU studies are largely disconnected from the rich body of industrial location theory and history that is critical to an informed interpretation of methods, findings and recommendations. Given the increasing practice of online publishing of planning documents, this paper argues that planners face an emerging opportunity and responsibility to engage non-planners through such documents. One of the implications of this trend is that topical studies like the ones reviewed herein must establish a basic theoretical and historical context that allows non-planners to interpret the studies appropriately.