• Code tweaks to make walkable neighborhoods legal

    The Project for Code Reform looks at Michigan municipalities to find the key changes to land-use regulations on the local level.
    CNU Project for Code Reform faculty recently met with six Michigan cities and towns, ranging in population from 2,500 to 42,000, for training workshops. The team is made up of experts in finding the straightest path to solving a municipality’s problems through targeted land-use regulatory reforms...Read more

  • How to use building types in zoning

    Building types are useful in defining a variety of house-scale buildings in a mixed neighborhood, and where neighborhoods are near main streets. Here's how to apply them.
    This is Part Three of a three-part series. Building types can be useful in form-based codes to enable a fine–grained mix of buildings of varied density and type in walkable neighborhoods. The approach of using building types is also effective in situations where permit streamlining is required and...Read more

  • Code organizes growth into walkable neighborhoods

    A large new development area in Missoula, Montana, will be built out according to new urban principles.
    The City of Missoula recently adopted a master plan and form-based code for a new growth area that could accommodate about half of the city’s growth in the next 15 years. The Mullan area, larger than Missoula’s downtown, is located just west of the city and southeast of the regional airport. The...Read more

  • The New Urbanism influence on Oregon’s pioneering zoning reforms

    The State of Oregon adopted significant zoning changes in 2019 that allow two-unit structures across most of the state, and three-unit housing on lots in larger communities. “This doesn’t ‘abolish the suburbs,’ but it does ensure that a wider variety of house types are available in a wider range of...Read more