Land Development Regulations
Tools

Inventory

DPZ Smart Codes

Congress for the New Urbanism has prepared a list of new urbanist land development regulations in place around the United States. This detailed and comprehensive list includes links to codes nationwide.

Planning

Realizing the Vision: 2040 Regional Framework Plan

An important new set of tools to help local elected officials and planners make land-use decisions is available from the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC). The 2040 Regional Framework Plan plan is the culmination of an extensive public-involvement process that included 200 workshops where 4,000 participants expressed their vision of how the region should address growth through the year 2040.

NIPC is the official comprehensive planning agency for Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will -- that form the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Its official forecasts of population, employment and other socio-economic indicators are key inputs to the region's transportation agencies.

The 2040 Plan defines three basic elements -- Centers, Corridors and Green Areas -- to establish a framework for the region's communities to plan more effectively to deal with growth that NIPC forecasts will exceed 10 million residents and 5.5 million jobs by 2030. The 2000 U.S. Census found just over 8 million residents with about 4.3 million jobs in the region.

The framework plan has been funded primarily by federal transportation funds through IDOT. The plan will be central to allocating investments for transportation, economic development, environment, and other forms of land use.

300 pages; available online as a PDF document in chapter and popular summary formats; a 2040 Regional Framework Map is also available. For more information please visit the resource link below.

PowerPoint Presentations

Breaking the Code: 12 Code Obstacles to Smart Growth and what Cities are Doing to Remove Them

"Nelson/Nygaard has completed over three dozen station area, infill development and Transit Oriented Development projects across the United States. Continually, the company finds that federal, state and local regulations make Smart Growth more difficult to build than conventional sprawl. This presentation identifies 12 of the most common regulatory obstacles preventing Smart Growth -- and what local communities are doing to get around those obstacles.

Inclusionary Zoning: Ideas You Can Use

This presentation offers a simple introduction to fundamental inclusionary zoning issues. It is designed to share many of the issues that need to be considered when drafting an inclusionary zoning ordinance.

Toolbox

CWP’s Code and Ordinance Worksheet

The Code and Ordinance Worksheet was developed by the Center for Watershed Protection during the 1998 National Site Planning Roundtable project. The Worksheet walks users through the process of evaluating how their community's codes and ordinances measure up to 22 better site design principles.

Envision Utah

Envision Utah has developed a Toolbox, “Urban Planning Tools for Quality Growth”. Using examples of local and national development codes, design standards, and innovative planning strategies, the Toolbox is designed to assist communities as they plan for the future through various types and stages of development.

Models and Guidelines - Maryland

Part of the Smart Codes Legislation passed by the 2000 Maryland General Assembly allows the Maryland Department of Planning to develop models and guidelines for infill development to further Maryland’s Smart Growth goals and provide local governments with a voluntary model development ordinance.

Oregon Transportation and Growth Management Program

The Transportation and Growth Management Program’s mission is to enhance Oregon's livability, foster integrated land use and transportation planning and encourage development that results in compact, pedestrian-, bicycle-, and transit-friendly communities. The program has a variety of publications available to assist local governments with integration of land use and transportation planning.

Websites

Active Living Leadership: Action Strategies Guide

This website highlights numerous online resources, land development regulations, and publications that states and localities nationwide have implemented to advance active living through land use planning and development. The policies in this database represent a variety of approaches ranging from formal legislative or regulatory efforts to informal approaches, plans, and programs. These actions represent real and innovative ways for communities to realize healthier communities through smart growth approaches.

DOE's Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development: Land Use Codes/Ordinances

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Smart Communities Network website offers a menu of information and services on how your community can adopt sustainable development as a strategy for well-being. From this site, users can access model codes and ordinances other communities have used to implement sustainable development.

EPA's Smart Growth Policy Database

This database highlights numerous policies and programs that states and localities nationwide have implemented to further smart growth. The policies in this database represent a variety of approaches ranging from formal legislative or regulatory efforts to informal approaches, plans, and programs. These actions represent real and innovative ways for communities to realize smart growth.

ICMA's E-Library

ICMA's E-Library includes research documents, local codes and ordinances, statutes, federal documents and policies that will facilitate the implementation of smart growth by practitioners. The E-Library can be searched by keyword. (To limit the search to smart growth documents, check the box next to "Smart Growth" under "Topics.")

Montana Smart Growth Coalition

The Montana Smart Growth Coalition website offers a compilation of model plans and regulations that communities can use to help make smart growth a reality.

National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards: Streamlining the Nation's Building Regulatory Process

This site has best practice codes/regulations/legislation for overall streamlining of the building and development process.

This web site is developed and maintained by the
National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT),
and supported with funding from the US EPA.
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