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Putting <br />Sustainable <br />Zoning Into <br />Practice <br />By Elizabeth Garvin, AICP <br />This trend is partially attributable to recession - <br />related federal budget reductions, but it's also <br />related to increasing citizen pressure to "act <br />locally." Furthermore, topics historically viewed <br />as best handled by the private sector or left to <br />market -based decisions —such as housing mix or <br />new business development —are more frequently <br />the subject of public meetings and local policy. <br />Often, the drive to resolve these issues <br />locally is pushed by residents and businesses <br />who want more sustainable communities; that <br />is, communities that are more resilient in the <br />face of anticipated (and unanticipated) future <br />change. With local budgets and funding sources <br />at a historic low, though, cities and counties are <br />necessarily focused on cost-saving'opportuni- <br />ties to make the most of existing facilities and <br />services without committing to expensive new <br />solutions or programs. To meet these demands, <br />many communities are making changes to their <br />local land development regulations so that <br />sustainability is both figuratively and literally <br />built -into the process and outcome. To help <br />communities determine where to add sustain- <br />able provisions to their regulations, this article <br />provides a survey of current and emerging sus- <br />tainable zoning provisions available at the local <br />level, with an overview of the purpose and gen- <br />eral approach for each category of regulation. <br />GETTING STARTED <br />Because there is currently no clear definition <br />or consensus about what constitutes a sus- <br />tainable approach to zoning, it is important to <br />develop a local definition of sustainability and <br />a policy framework of local preferences that <br />can be used to help guide drafting decisions. <br />In some communities, this is done through a <br />comprehensive sustainability planning pro- <br />cess, such as the Miami -Dade County, Florida, <br />GreenPrint or the Fort Collins, Colorado, Action <br />Significant environmental, economic, and social <br />challenges that are regional, national, or global <br />in cause are increasingly the subject of local <br />responsibility and action. <br />e Form -based codes, corresponding to neighborhood or communitywide regulating plans, <br />are one method for promoting compact, mixed use development patterns through zoning. <br />Plan for Sustainability. In others, it may involve <br />compiling information from a range of existing <br />sources, including regional, comprehensive, <br />climate adaptation, hazard mitigation, and <br />capital improvements plans. Where planning <br />does not precede the creation of new or up- <br />dated regulations, it is important to establish <br />a sustainability definition and framework <br />through community outreach and the creation <br />of a policy or regulatory framework report. For <br />example, St. Louis County, Missouri, provides <br />an excellent example of blending existing <br />ZONING PRACTICE 7.13 <br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION Ipage 2 <br />