Build It With Brick

Brad Leonard, planning director for Lawrenceville, Georgia, shares his city's strategy for creating a consistent and attractive urban design standard -- using masonry ordinances to encourage higher-quality brick construction.

"The council decided that, by beginning to require brick on the exterior of homes, they could increase property value since brick lasts longer than other materials and requires less maintenance...in March 1998, the city passed its first masonry ordinance, requiring that all four sides on single-family homes be brick in a certain zoning classification. It has since become our most sought after classification."