Abstract
The earliest transfer of development rights programs performed poorly, largely because they were optional and because local officials had little opportunity to study and refine them. The second-generation programs are more sophisticated and have gone farther toward fulfilling the promise of the TDR concept. After analyzing the implementation of two second-generation programs—in Montgomery County, Maryland, and in the New Jersey Pinelands—this article presents seven propositions outlining the conditions for operation of successful TDR programs.