Baltimore County form-based coding

The Baltimore Sun recently urged Baltimore County in Maryland to adopt “form-based zoning.” County Executive James T. Smith Jr. reportedly supports a switch to new urban codes to revitalize decaying commercial strips. “The County Council should support this radical experiment when enabling legislation is introduced ... the current zoning has failed to spur viable redevelopment; it’s time to try alternatives,” says the Sun. The paper cites Washington DC based planner Geoffrey Ferrell, who reports that reinvestment along Columbia Pike in Arlington, Virginia, has shot up since new urban codes were adopted earlier this year.