More towns adopt form-based codes
An update to the Codes Study by Hazel Borys and Emily Talen finds 420 form-based codes (FBCs) worldwide — 244 have been adopted and another 176 are in the works. Most, 396, are in the US. If US FBCs were all adopted, they would apply to areas with nearly 34 million people, although some are optional (with parallel conventional codes). FBCs focus on urban form and promote compact, mixed-use communities as opposed to conventional zoning, which mostly separates uses and restricts density. The update shows 11 new FBCs adopted since earlier this year. Most of the codes are quite new — approximately 81 percent have been approved since 2003 (see chart). Big city adopters include Miami, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Memphis, Baltimore, Nashville, Tulsa, and Portland, Oregon. Florida is the state leader, with 54 FBCs adopted or in process covering 8.3 million people. California, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, and Tennessee all have codes covering more than a million people. Internationally, Scotland and United Arab Emirates have adopted nationwide FBCs.
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