• Form coding planned to change pattern of growth in Iowa City

    Update: The South District plan and code were adopted by City Council October 5. Iowa City, Iowa, is moving to adopt a form-based code on a 900-acre district on the southern edge of town (see regulating plan above). The area is adjacent to a suburban ring of development that has surrounded the core...Read more

  • California zoning reform: Are form-based codes the answer?

    The Golden State’s recent legislation enabling duplexes and small multifamily buildings has important urban design implications for New Urbanism and walkable communities.
    California adopted legislation last week that would allow duplexes on single-family lots, effectively ending the Golden State’s era of exclusive single-family zoning. At the same time, the state streamlined the process for cities approving small multifamily buildings in infill and transit-oriented...Read more

  • Transect-based plan and code for rural community

    Groveland, a rapidly developing small city 30 miles west of Orlando, Florida, adopted a plan and code that included the beautiful Transect diagram shown above. The mostly still-rural community, which nearly doubled in population last decade, adopted the new regulations during the pandemic after a...Read more

  • Federal and state code reform heats up

    Significant programs and legislation may set the stage for local code reform across the US, enabling better places.
    Six months ago, Public Square reported on state and city code reform efforts to allow missing middle housing types and reduce exclusive single-family zoning. Those efforts are gaining momentum in federal and state government—even as CNU is stepping up its Project for Code Reform (PCR), which has...Read more