Port Royal Moves Forward with FBC Approval Process

The town council in Port Royal, SC, voted unanimously to give preliminary approval to the proposed Form-Based Code at its March 12 meeting. The Beaufort-Port Royal Metropolitan Planning Commission approved the proposal in December. Opticos Design was commissioned to create ...

Why I Make Form-Based Codes

I’ve learned many things during the 14 years I’ve spent making Form-Based Codes. Much of the experience has involved making each code responsive to its location and people, in the best way possible. My experience has also taught me about a variety of effective approaches, and others that are not as effective. Learning is often not so much about knowing what to do at first, but understanding what issues may occur and how to responsively address those issues. The following ideas will show why I believe in making Form-Based Codes, rather than trying to patch up conventional zoning.

Westwood Set to Become Fourth Cincinnati Neighborhood to Adopt FBC

The Westwood Coalition hopes that Cincinnati’s Form-Based Code will help to revitalize the neighborhood’s historic business district. On Dec. 13, the Cincinnati Planning Commission unanimously approved a recommendation to adopt the city’s FBC in a portion of the neighborhood. The ...

Different Zoning Tools for Different Places (Video)

Opticos’s Dan Parolek traveled to Austin to speak at the Central Texas Commercial Association of Realtors’s event “Catalysts for Change” in mid-October. He was there to introduce the process and various approaches to CodeNext, the project to update Austin’s land development code. Invited ...

Chicago Planning Agency Releases Guide to FBCs

Is your neighborhood, community, or city considering a Form-Based Code? Maybe you think you already have one? The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning recently released a simple, little handbook to help communities and individuals understand what Form-Based Codes are, and ...