Cincinnati Embraces the Form-Based Code

As Cincinnati embarks on an effort to rewrite its building regulations, city leaders hope a form-based code will provide the tools necessary to revitalize its neighborhoods, writes Carrie Whitaker.

1 minute read

May 7, 2012, 1:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


With an estimated 700 Cincinnatians participating in workshops last week to help design its new form-based code, the city's Department of Planning and Buildings is hoping they've found the right tool to revive a city that has half the population it did 60 years ago, and a 17 percent housing vacancy rate.

Following the lead of planners in Nashville, whose work with form-based codes has served as a precedent for leaders in Cincinnati, the city's effort will kick off in four of the city's neighborhoods: College Hill, Walnut Hills, Westwood and Madisonville, utilizing a $2.4 million Community Challenge Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Learn more about the project at the city's new Plan Build Live website.

Sunday, May 6, 2012 in Cincinnati.com

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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