Public participation in zoning

Data centers’ neighbors weigh in on how to manage them

<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/761296/original/file-20260921-50-odpnbx.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&rect=2%2C0%2C5994%2C3996&q=45&auto=format&w=1050&h=700&fit=crop" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People who live near data centers in northern Virginia have opinions about how to manage them.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/this-aerial-view-shows-an-amazon-web-services-data-center-news-photo/2289740244">Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The people of northern Virginia have been living with data centers for many years. The area is home to the <a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2026/07/06/how-virginia-became-the-worlds-data-center-capital-and-how-its-going/">world’s largest concentration</a> of <a href="https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/virginia/">data centers</a>. In a survey we conducted, we found northern Virginians <a href="http