ABSTRACT
Subdivision regulation has been an integral part of American land-use planning for over a half-century. To understand why a model ordinance has been formulated, it is important to first describe what subdivision controls encompass, how they have evolved, and the state of practice. Subdivision regulation is the control by a public body of the platting and conversion of undeveloped land into building lots. A city can control the subdivision of real estate by requiring a developer to meet certain conditions in exchange for the privilege of recording a plat. The subdivision of land, in the sense of the orderly division of land into parcels, is "as old as written records. The Egyptians and the Greeks maintained a system for the division of land and the development of communities, and laws regulating the width of streets appeared as early as the fourth century B.C.
