Form-Based Code

Looking to integrate artisan manufacturing into a residential neighborhood? Berlin examples provide a few pointers, via Hazel Borys.

November 7, 2014 - PlaceShakers

What's your elevator pitch on why placemaking matters? Here's a couple rounded up by Hazel Borys, and some numbers that help refine their message.

September 16, 2014 - PlaceShakers

Owners of a 173-acre office campus in Simsbury, Connecticut are hoping that by adopting a form-based code as a guide for potential redevelopment of the site, potential buyers have more reason to pull the trigger on a deal.

August 10, 2014 - Hartford Business Journal

Cincinnati’s Department of Planning and Buildings was awarded the grand prize for "Best Planning Tool or Process" at the Congress for the New Urbanism's national conference last week. The award is just the latest in a string of commendations.

June 11, 2014 - UrbanCincy

Spring brings out the romance in cities. Here's a bit of inspiration from Quebéc City...and Buffalo.

June 2, 2014 - PlaceShakers

Atlantic Cities details the new urbanist vision of a master planned community called Eastmark in Mesa, Arizona. The development’s mix of uses, form-based code, and walkability create “an uncommon sales pitch for car-dependent Arizona.”

February 7, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

Are we on the brink of a third industrial revolution? Guest 'PlaceShaker' Scott Bernstein thinks maybe, and looks to past successes for key patterns and ideas for injecting walkability into areas with industrial or 'special' uses.

July 17, 2013 - PlaceShakers

London calling! PlaceMaker Hazel Borys fuses her passions for great cities, efficient transit, civic art and form-based coding into one lavishly documented examination of the English capital. Cheers, mates!

June 18, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Form-based codes extract the DNA of the desired local character, and enable it by right. Hazel Borys talks about how to get the numbers right in this week's Back of the Envelope.

May 17, 2013 - PlaceShakers

On 50th anniversary of the Jetsons, Hazel Borys celebrates city planning that isn't pie in the sky, but instead lets us cast a shadow.

May 3, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Ambition is good, but don't bite off more than you can chew. Hazel Borys applies this valuable lesson to form-based codes.

April 23, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Generalist Geoff Dyer delivers his walkability design tactics magnum opus on PlaceShakers. His years of practical experience are conveniently condensed for your consumption.

March 11, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Like any tool, form-based codes must be wielded skillfully for beautiful results. Hazel Borys kicks off a series on ways we go awry.

February 22, 2013 - PlaceShakers

There may be a way to supply some of the benefits of form-based codes without heavy-handed aesthetic regulation. In theory, a form-based code could be limited to verifiable characteristics such as setbacks, yard types, building height, frontage size and lot coverage.

February 12, 2013 - Michael Lewyn

Can urban form help address the loneliness that so often accompanies aging? In a new blog post, Hazel Borys examines some remedies for severed connections.

February 12, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Zoning reform is a political campaign. Coder Susan Henderson talks about audience dynamics, with a special focus on how to communicate with property owners and the developer community.

October 2, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Hazel Borys concludes her popular photo series on lessons from Canadian urbanism with a look at Ottawa, whose charming historic character is illegal to reproduce today in its more auto-centric outskirts.

August 22, 2012 - PlaceShakers

When we think urbanism, we often think cities. But small towns embody many of the elements of walkability that are illegal in most places. This pictorial review offers some palatable insights.

August 19, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Getting along is much easier when the fronts and backs of buildings are rational: public activities out front, private out back, and a street wall to keep them orderly.

August 17, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Several collaborative Google Maps cover Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs) across the US and Canada as well as form-based codes globally. Are yours listed?

July 28, 2012 - PlaceShakers