Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TND's) - neighborhoods with a mix of uses, walkable streets and high-quality public places - have been making a comeback across the country. People are rediscovering the virtues of living in, working in, and governing walkable neighborhoods - and developers are beginning to understand this market demand.

However, in most parts of the United States such neighborhoods are difficult to build because of Zoning codes. Most of our codes induce sprawl. Nearly of them require that uses be segregated from each other and virtually every set of Subdivision Regulations require streets to serve vehicles at the cost of serving pedestrians. Form Based Codes allow developers to provide the types of neighborhoods that are marketable, cost effective to construct, efficient to govern and serve, and that allow the supply of future real estate development to fluctuate with demand.

glaserworks is leading the effort to educate and advocate for the adoption of Form Based Codes in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. glaserworks collaborated with Placemakers, Inc. a nationally recognized leader in Form-Based Codes, to prepare a code for Bellevue, Kentucky. It is the first adaptation of the SmartCode in the region.

Jeff Raser, a principal at glaserworks, has spoken to numerous communities and professional groups throughout the Cincinnati region - a small summary of his presentation is posted above. Contact Jeff at jraser@glaserworks.com if you would like to hear more about Form Based Codes.