Want a Quick Start with Form-Based Codes?

You might as well begin with with Opticos, Daniel Parolek, and the Form-Based Codes Institute (FBCI).

Daniel is the founding principal of Opticos; he is an architect, urbanist, and coauthor of the first comprehensive book on form-based codes, Form-Based Codes: A Guide for Planners, Urban Designers, Municipalities, and Developers (John Wiley & Sons, 2008); and he is the founding board member of the FBCI.

The FBCI has developed a curriculum of workshops and webinars. They are offering an upcoming webinar on designing hybrid form-based and use-based codes, July 27, (go to Linked-In page or email alan@formbasedcodes.org).

The publisher’s summary of the book says the following:

A comprehensive, illustrative guide to Form-Based Codes

“This volume describes in clear argument and significant detail the issues and techniques associated with the design and management of Form-Based Codes as an antidote to zoning and sprawl. Reading it and putting it to practice is an excellent point of departure for individuals and municipalities to safeguard and to grow their communities.”
– From the Foreword by noted architect and urbanist, Stefanos Polyzoides

Form-Based Codes are the latest evolutionary step in the practice of development and land-use regulation. A growing alternative to conventional zoning laws, Form-Based Codes go beyond land use to address not just the physical form of buildings but also surrounding streets, blocks, and public spaces in order to create, protect, and revitalize sustainable communities.

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