• Strategies for project review under a form-based code

    While many cities and towns have determined that they need not have additional project review for development that conforms with the code, others are establishing or streamlining project review systems.
    Form Based Codes (FBCs) allow communities to implement a plan for quality placemaking with a by-right development code, instead of a complicated discretionary design review process. Communities are selecting form-based codes to replace conventional zoning in downtowns and neighborhood centers, not...Read more

  • A slow revolution in zoning

    Commercial strip arterials in the Nutmeg State are beginning to transform as land-use regulations shift focus from use to the shape and siting of buildings.
    Dixwell Avenue in Hamden, Connecticut, is an inelegant and jumbled commercial strip, a paean to post-World War II planning, a hurried venue for cars where pedestrians or bike riders venture at considerable risk. For example, at the 1950s-era Hamden Plaza, diners leaving Panera Bread on one side of...Read more