A key objective of community planning is the building of healthy, vibrant, and distinctive neighborhoods.

Proximity, association, and accessibility between home, work, and leisure activities are essential factors in building places with a strong sense of community.  In the book A Pattern Language, author Christopher Alexander advocates for a comprehensive change in the nature of zoning.  He envisions a work - home relationship where…

  • Every home is within 20-30-minutes of many hundreds of workplaces;
  • Many workplaces are within walking distance of children and families;
  • Workers can go home casually for lunch, run errands, work half-time, and spend half the day at home;
  • Some workplaces are in homes; there are many opportunities for people to work from their homes or to take work home; and
  • Neighborhoods are protected from the traffic and noise generated by “noxious” workplaces.

Associated uses build communities

Associated uses for residences

Examples of associated uses for residences

In place of single-use zoning districts that tend to isolate people and places, the Place Zoning model emphasizes that new uses must be located near compatible associated uses.

“Associated uses” are activities that complement, support and provide benefits or services to other compatible uses in the community.

When combined and interconnected in close proximity, associated uses form the essential building blocks of community life.

For more information on this topic, click here or copy and paste the following link in your web browser:  http://www.buildingplace.net/place-zoning.

Building Place is currently scheduling a limited number of workshop presentations about place zoning and state-of-the-art land development regulations that work for your community.

Contact us here to reserve one for your community.

© 2009 Building Place (www.buildingplace.net) - All rights reserved.  Contact us here for information regarding reprinting, redistribution, or other use of this material. Excerpts may be quoted with proper attribution and a link to this website.

One Response to “Zoning without Boundaries”

  1. 1:55 pm, 5 February, 2009 р.
    TheZoningGuru says:

    From Stephen Rose (original comment accidentally deleted…)

    Glad to see this. I am working on an effort to deal with all aspects of Alexander for today.

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