Smart Growth Resource Library

Creating a Regulatory Blueprint for Healthy Community Design

Local land use policy changes can encourage more compact, vibrant, and healthy communities, according to a new guide released by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

The consumer guide, Creating a Regulatory Blueprint for Healthy Community Design, is a road map for local government officials and their staff as they consider reforming zoning and development codes to encourage more physical activity in their areas. Highlights include:

• Reasons why communities should consider code reform
• Models for various approaches to code reform
• Helpful definitions, resources, references, and illustrations
• Lessons learned from national experts and cities that have recently tackled code reform
• A strategic framework for planning to reform zoning and related development codes
• Focused discussion about using code reform to foster more increased physical activity and livability goals

The guide is especially useful now as more and more jurisdictions focus on modernization of zoning and land development codes to encourage the design of more livable neighborhoods. An increasing number of public health officials contend that code reform is a key element in efforts to increase physical activity and access to healthy food among the United States population.

ICMA’s Creating a Regulatory Blueprint for Healthy Community Design was produced with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through its Active Living Leadership national initiative. For more information about active living and the Active Living Leadership initiative, visit http://icma.org/activeliving or www.activelivingleadership.org.

Download a free copy of the guide (19 pages/889KB) at the resource link below.

Resource: http://icma.org/main/ld.asp?ldid=19338&hsid=1&tpid=31

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