Codes reform gets serious

The rules that govern land development are often impediments to New Urbanism. CNU is changing the rules. Planning and zoning codes. Land development regulations. Bureaucratese. Call it what you will, there is nowhere in the United States that is completely free of the arcane rules that say where, how, and for what use structures can be built. While new urbanists are known for their general opposition to government rules that require sprawl and for pioneering new techniques, no synthesis of ideas and experiences is available. That is changing, thanks to a set of law-related initiatives from CNU staff and members. For over two years, CNU’s Planners Task Force has been ramping up its efforts to reform land development regulations. Since CNU IX, a summary of zoning and planning codes and state enabling legislation that supports New Urbanism has been available at the resources page of CNU.org. CNU X offered “Codes College,” a one-day seminar. CNU is writing a Planners Advisory Service report to be published by the American Planning Association (APA), and members have proposed a new Codes Folio project. Voted the top challenge CNU members are convinced that laws are a big deal. In an informal survey of participants at CNU X, members voted “code reform” the “top challenge” for the movement. It got more than twice as many votes as the next contender, “inspiring the public.” Long-time CNU members were the most concerned about codes. CNU X participants also voted with their bodies, packing a half-day “Codes College.” The event covered three main topics. Speakers Paul Lewis from Orlando, Rich Martin of Sarasota, and Lee Rawlinson of Miami-Dade County spoke about lawmaking for New Urbanism in Florida. Joel Russell discussed how different disciplines relate to development regulations. Mike Watkins discussed Duany Plater-Zyberk’s methods of coding. Suzanne Rhees, Russell, Geoff Ferrell, and Bill Dennis then discussed how to code in such a way as to allow a place to evolve over time. A definitive codes book CNU staff and members are working on a book about what new urbanist regulations exist, how they fit in with the Charter, and how to get them in place in one’s own town. Director of Policy and Research Ellen Greenberg and former staffers Sarah Pulleyblank and Igor Andersen have compiled over 20 local codes written to permit or require New Urbanism. Those codes are to be included in the book along with descriptive and how-to text by CNU members Joel Russell, Jonathan Barnett, Paul Crawford, Rick Bernhardt, Paul Sitkowski, and Gianni Longo. It will be published by APA. Along with the qualitative analysis in the new book, there is also extensive analysis of existing code reform efforts. CNU researchers contacted city staff in 22 municipalities and found out whether their local pro-New Urbanism ordinances had ever been used, and what the built projects look like. The book will also report on the process of adopting each code, the experience of drafting and using it, and the lessons learned. Members Scott Polikov and Dan Slone are now leading the drive to create a “Codes Folio Series.” Subject to the approval of the CNU Board of Directors, this project will recruit authors and an editorial board to write in-depth monographs on subjects related to development regulations. They would provide more detail than the APA book, offering solutions for specific locations and situations. These folios would be living documents, incorporating feedback into follow-up pieces over time.