2. Where are there examples of successful form-based codes?
While form-based codes are tailored to each community’s local context, objectives, and goals, several examples stand out, and they can be successful in places of nearly all sizes. They include:
Large cities like Denver, CO, Miami, FL, and Nashville, TN;
Small cities like Delray Beach and Bradenton, FL; Benicia, CA; and Bellevue, KY; and
Neighborhoods and districts like Fort Worth’s Near Southside (TX) and Pleasant Hill BART station area (CA).
3. What kinds of communities adopt form-based codes?
Albeit not a one-size-fits-all approach, form-based codes are helping all kinds of communities unlock a vision for vibrant, human-scaled environments. They are adopted in places where people want walkable streets, hospitable buildings, and lasting character—goals which are easier to accomplish with a form-based code. Communities also pursue form-based codes when development is stagnant, takes too long, or is unpredictable. More often than not, these issues arise because of an overly restrictive conventional code keeps mixed-use, walkable development on the wish list.
4. What is the role of form-based codes in gentrification or displacement?
Zoning alone—conventional or form-based—does not cause or solve problems associated with gentrification leading to displacement of long-term residents or businesses. Typically, a host of issues—driven by market forces—are the root of displacement. Form-based codes often result in an increase in property values, because the kinds of places they create are both in demand and scarce. It is up to policymakers to decide how to mitigate these market forces so existing businesses and residents can remain in place as communities grow.
In some cases, form-based codes can actually add to the toolbox to retain existing residents and businesses. For example, in many cities, single-family zoning includes minimum square footage and/or lot size requirements, increasing the cost of a home and restricting who can afford to live there. A form-based code can be used to diversify building sizes and types in a neighborhood, introduce affordable housing incentives, and set development standards to reduce exclusionary requirements.
5. Aren’t form-based codes more costly than traditional zoning?
The cost of drafting or updating any zoning code varies, depending on the size and complexity of the area to be covered—from a single neighborhood or corridor to an entire city. Unlike conventional codes, form-based codes are written to reflect the community’s vision of the area; if this prerequisite is not in place, the cost of developing it is sometimes incorporated into the code drafting project.
6. How can we educate people about/advocate for form-based codes with our elected leaders and citizens?
The Form-Based Codes Institute (FBCI) is a program of Smart Growth America, led by planning and land-use professionals. We use education, technical assistance, and research to promote the understanding and adoption of form-based zoning codes.
We offer a three-course curriculum for planning and development practitioners:
FBC 101: The ABC’s of Form-Based Codes: Provides a comprehensive understanding of form-based codes, their history, components, legal underpinnings, and applications and how they differ from conventional codes.
FBC 201: Placemaking with Form-Based Codes: Conveys how to create and use standards for building form, streets, and public open space within a regulating plan.
FBC 301: Adopting and Implementing a Form- Based Code: Teaches practitioners how to formulate, adopt, and administer a form-based code.
Our Codes for Communities program draws on the experience and talents of FBCI leaders to provide local governments with advice and guidance on form-based codes and zoning reform. FBCI offers four levels of assistance in the Codes for Communities program: code review, code audit, code adjustment, and a new form-based code.
For more information about form-based codes, FBCI, or our programs, go to formbasedcodes.org or contact us at (202) 868-4103 or through this form.