Albuquerque's new "form-based codes" could offer city planners another model for denser, more pedestrian-friendly growth.
"Depending on whom you talk to, five new zoning codes currently being considered by Albuquerque's Environmental Planning Commission are either a positive step forward, toward less sprawl and more transit-oriented development, or they're potentially a Trojan horse that will allow developers to more easily deviate from existing neighborhood sector plans.
The new codes are called "form-based," which is a wonky way to describe a new way of regulating how the city develops.
Instead of focusing on how land can be used, as traditional zoning does, form-based zones regulate the form and type of a building, and how it relates to the street and the surrounding neighborhood in general.
The idea is that the encouragement of a certain type of built environment will create mixed-use, pedestrian friendly and transit oriented development, which Albuquerque's long-range plans call for."
FULL STORY: Green growth gambit
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