Form-Based Codes: Implementing Smart Growth
 In the two years since the Local Government Commission’s Smart
Growth Zoning Codes: A Resource Guide was first published,
the movement to reform zoning codes has gained momentum. Today,
form-based codes have become an increasingly popular approach
to achieve these reforms and create communities where people
want to live, work and play.
The old adage “form follows function” describes the
common approach behind land use regulation as it has been practiced
in the past. Form-based codes turn that relationship on its head.
Since the primary basis for regulation is the buildings, not the
uses, “function follows form.” These codes concentrate
first on the visual aspect of development: building height and
bulk, façade treatments, the location of parking, and the
relationship of the buildings to the street and to one another.
Simply put, form-based codes emphasize the appearance and qualities
of the public realm, the places created by buildings.
This eight-page factsheet
(PDF, 3.9 MB) discusses this innovative approach to
regulating development and includes case studies and tips for preparing
and administering a form-based code.
Form-Based Codes: Implementing Smart Growth
(PDF,
3.9 MB)
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