Shelby County and Memphis are on the verge of adopting a new smart growth zoning code to slow urban sprawl and breathe reinvigorate urban centers. The county's Main Street Mall will remain car-free. "Pedestrian-friendly" is the new planning theme.
"The basic zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations that have guided growth in Shelby County for a generation now are likely to be replaced with a code emphasizing entirely different patterns of development.
The new code embraces so-called smart-growth policies and focuses more on reclaiming existing neighborhoods in the urban core than developing new ones in suburbia.
The product of four years of debate and drafting, the proposed code provides for more pedestrian-friendly developments with a mix of commercial and residential uses."
From Editorial Urban planners and developers are realizing there's a price to pay in building wider roads while neglecting pedestrians:
"The Center City Commission has decided not to return vehicular traffic to the Main Street Mall. On May 28, the Land Use Control Board is expected to take up a Unified Development Code, designed to curb urban sprawl in Shelby County by requiring more pedestrian-friendly zoning."
Thanks to Steven Sondheim
Read the full story: Pedestrian-friendly zoning: Proposal to curb Shelby County sprawl
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