This article reports on research on the role of land-use planning in the emergence of new urban centers, or "edge cities, in Contra Costa County, on the eastern periphery of the San Francisco Bay Area. Based on an examination of the development of four employment and commercial nodes in that county, this article examines the process of planning these new suburban centers, and the role of pub­ lic land-use planners, local electorates concerned with growth, and traditional market players.