Driven by New Urbanism, more than two dozen communities in the U.S. have loosened zoning restrictions in recent years. Cities are opting to use form-based codes, a concept less concerned with the use of buildings and more with their appearance and the way they relate to each other.
The goal of city planners is to shape the streetscape according to a vision for a neighborhood. The new approach has been called “performance-based zoning.” An example is a large development in Fremont, Calif., where the city council changed its approach to zoning on a nearly 900-acre development adjacent to a light rail station.
Planners started with several goals—a certain number of jobs, a certain number of homes including affordable homes, and strict standards for a low carbon footprint. The developers were allowed to design the project as they saw fit as long as they could achieve those goals.
The performance-based approach is contrary to the principle of separation of uses that led to color-coded zoning maps pinned up in most town halls. According to the old philosophy, ach zone had its own designated use: residential, commercial, or industrial. This method is increasingly seen as inappropriate for urban development—especially infill, downtown, and transit-oriented projects.
(http://www.citylab.com/housing/2014/08/braving-the-new-world-of-performance-based-zoning/375926/)
Related Stories
| Aug 14, 2014
Boards at odds over North Carolina county’s CM-at-Risk policy
Some local small contractors are not pleased with the school board’s CM-at-Risk policy that was instituted in 2007. The county’s board of commissioners has offered a sympathetic ear to their complaints
| Aug 14, 2014
2014 National Electrical Code now effective in 12 states; 11 more to come online by January
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says that the 2014 edition of the National Electrical Code(NEC) is now effective in 12 states: Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.
| Aug 14, 2014
CDC report highlights need for heat acclimatization to prevent worker deaths
CDC supports OSHA’s analysis suggesting that the primary risk factor for heat fatalities is the lack of acclimatization programs.
| Aug 8, 2014
California revives study of earthquake faults
California reinstituted an ambitious plan to study dangerous earthquake faults and create zoning maps that could restrict development.
| Aug 6, 2014
Loudoun County, Virginia may dump green building requirements
Loudoun County, Va., supervisors may do away with a county policy that requires LEED Silver certification on new county buildings.
| Aug 6, 2014
$300 million mixed-use project in Chicago’s medical district wins key approval
The Illinois Medical District Commission approved a 1.16 million-sf, $300 million mixed-use project in Chicago’s Illinois Medical District.
| Aug 4, 2014
Facebook’s prefab data center concept aims to slash construction time in half
Less than a year after opening its ultra-green, hydropowered data center facility in Luleå, Sweden, Facebook is back at it in Mother Svea with yet another novel approach to data center design.
| Jul 31, 2014
LEED Dynamic Plaque gives owners and tenants ability to monitor building performance
The LEED Dynamic Plaque could aid certified buildings in maintaining performance with up-to-date information about water and energy use, waste reduction efforts, occupant experience, and other green performance categories.
| Jul 31, 2014
Gypsum Association releases updates to wallboard repair standards
The Gypsum Association released updates to both GA-221 Repair of Joint Ridging and GA-222 Repairing Screw or Nail Pops standards publications.
| Jul 31, 2014
Cambridge, Mass., is latest locale to require energy usage disclosure
The City Council of Cambridge, Mass., approved the Building Energy Usage and Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) that requires benchmarking and disclosure of building energy performance for large commercial, institutional, and multifamily buildings.
