The Codes

Titlesort icon Authorsort icon Datesort icon Placesort icon Description
A Design Primer for Cities and Towns Anne Mackin and Alex Krieger 1989 United States This is a manual directed at a community audience. It gives information on town planning and design, with suggestions for how communities can get the urbanism they desire.
A Landscape of Choice The Growth Alternatives Alliance 1998 United States - Fresno County, CA A document that offers strategies, principles, and policy recommendations for a growing agricultural region.
A Pattern Language Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein et.al. 1977 United States This is one of the first attempts at a universal code for urbanism. It consists of a vocabulary of 'patterns'. Some are supportive of neighborhood structure.
Building with Nantucket in Mind: Guidelines for Protecting the Historic Architecture and Landscape of Nantucket Island J. Christopher Lang 1995 United States - Nantucket Island, MA A design manual providing guidelines for historic preservation and for traditional building design.
Commentaries on the Laws of England William Blackstone 1768 England An influential 18th century treatise on the common law of England.
Cordova Town Design Guidelines Looney Ricks Kiss Architects, Inc. 1994 United States - Cordova, TN This is four sheets showing site planning and architectural design guidelines.
Corymbia Woods Concept Master Plan & Design Code Roberts Day 2008 Australia - Queensland Approved by the Ipswich City Council in Queensland, AU, the Corymbia Woods Design Code is a transect based code which unifies the standards for public streetscape and private domain on a single page.
Jacobean Proclamations James I 17th century England - London A proclamation concerning buildings in, and about London.
Model Land Development Code for Florida Cities and Counties Center For Governmental Responsibility, U. of Florida & Henigar and Ray Engineering Associates 1989 United States - Florida This is a model development code developed to assist local governments complying with Florida's growth management laws. It includes certain development bonuses within mixed use and urban districts and provides a traditional neighborhood district intended as a floating zone.
New Orleans Homebuilt Housing Act Andres Duany 2006 United States - New Orleans, LA A code proposal by A. Duany to restore New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
New Town James Craig 1765-1850 Scotland - Edinburgh A relocated and redesigned city, built on a polluted lock which was drained and developed on a grid plan. Specifies building materials and building heights based on elevation.
Onondaga County Settlement Plan Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company 1999 United States - New York A charrette report describing twelve guidelines for a county plan.
Orlando Naval Training Center Planned Development Application Orlando NTC Partners 1998 United States - Orlando, FL This is an application for a master planned redevelopment of a decommissioned naval center.
Performance Zoning Lane Kendig with Susan Connor, Cranston Byrd, and Judy Heyman 1980 United States This is the manual that introduced the concept of performance zoning. It includes a complete model ordinance.
Plan for Laying Out Towns and Townships Granville Sharp 1794 England - London From John Reps: “Sharp (1735-1813) was a native of Durham, England, the grandson of the archbishop of York…In 1783 he broached the idea of founding a colony for freed slaves in Africa, and with his associates launched such a project in 1787. This venture proved more difficult than anticipated, and in 1808 the crown took over its affairs. Doubtless Sharp drew on this experience in working out the details of the proposed community that he described and illustrated in the tract from which this reading comes. In preparing his town plan Sharp may have relied also on information about the town of Savannah, Georgia, for by the time he wrote Sharp had corresponded with Savannah's founder, James Oglethorpe, who may have passed on to Sharp his own ideas about town planning.” From http://www.library.cornell.edu/Reps/DOCS/sharp.htm
Reggimento of the Commune 1206, 1287 Italy - Bologna Ring of trenches ordered to protect homes and churches in the suburbs in 1206. Walls ordered to protect the suburbs in 1287.
Responsive Environments Ian Bentley, Alan Alcock, Sue McGlynn, Paul Murrain, Graham Smith 1985 England This is a manual for professional planners and designers. Its chapters offer principles concerning permeability, variety, robustness, visual appropriateness, richness, and personalization.
Rural Village Ordinance Richard Bono and Richard Calderon 1991 United States - Loudon County, VA This is an ordinance for the creation of rural villages along with preservation of outlying rural lands.
Seaside Urban Code Duany, A. & Plater-Zyberk, E. 1986 United States - Seaside, FL A code prescribing the placing of buildings for the Town of Seaside, Florida--the first new town to be built successfully in the United States in over fifty years. This code includes setbacks, lots lines, yards, porches and balconies, and parking.
Settled Land Act 1882 Parliament 1882 Ireland The purpose of this act was to promote development and maintenance of privately owned land (much of which was neglected). The act enumerated several improvements that could be financed with Capital Trust Money including transportation, infrastructure, residential, commons, and waterways.
Shaker Heights Village Standards Van Sweringen Brothers 1928, 2nd ed. United States - Shaker Heights Village, OH Design standards for an exemplary early suburb.
SmartCode Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company (DPZ) 2003 United States "The SmartCode is a model transect-based development code available for all scales of planning, from the region to the community to the block and building. The code is intended for local calibration to your town or neighborhood. As a form-based code, the SmartCode keeps towns compact and rural lands open, while reforming the destructive sprawl-producing patterns of separated use zoning" (SmartCode Central)
Sustainable Suburb Study Calgary Planning and Building Department Staff 1995 Calgary, Canada This document stops short of being a code, for political reasons intentionally remaining a guideline. It strongly enforces the neighborhood structure.
The Ahwahnee Principles Peter Calthorpe, Michael Corbett, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, et.al. 1991 United States These are principles indistinguishable from a checklist. The 23 principles could easily become a code as if structured with activating language. This document advocates the rethinking of our patterns of development. It is supportive of neighborhood structure.
The Ahwahnee Principles for Smart Economic Development Rick Cole, Trish Kelly, and Judy Corbett with Sharon Sprowls 2001 United States Argues for a 'third wave' of economic development, working on holistic community building strategies in order to sustain a community's economic health. It lists fourteen principles, and chapters provide recommendations and case studies for each.
The Connected City Robert Cowan 1997 England This is a pamphlet directed at citizens. It expresses the familiar intent of reforming conventional suburban development practices to make urbanism more livable.
The Growth Management Handbook Samuel Hamill Jr., John Keene, David Kinsey, and Roger Lewis 1989 United States This is a manual for planners writing ordinances. It advocates a 'managed growth' philosophy compatible with the design aspects of neighborhood structure.
The Law for Regulating Streets and Water Courses in the Citys and Towns of This Government Legislature of Pennsylvania 1698 United States - Philadelphia, PA This code regulates maintenance of urban infrastructure.
The Laws of the Indies King Phillip II of Spain (and others) 1573 Spanish colonies in America (Indies) These are the codes that concern founding of new towns throughout the Spanish colonies.
The London Building Acts Fletcher, Banister 1894-1914 England - London The London building acts, including the London building act, 1894; the amendment acts of 1898 and 1905; L.C.C. general power acts, 1908 and 1909; the Cinematograph act, 1909; Town planning act, etc.; a tect-book on the law relating to building in the metropolis, for the use of acrchitects, surveyors, builders, etc. together with the current by-laws, standing orders, and regulations of the London County council, the corporation of the city of London.
The Neighborhood Model: Building Block for the Development Areas Torti Gallas and Partners, et.al. 2000 United States- County of Albermarle, VA This is a county plan that draws on New Urbanist principles. It includes concepts, principles, examples, and guidelines for implementation.
The Subdivision and Site Plan Handbook David Listokin and Carole Walker 1989 United States - New Jersey This was a model ordinance for the State of New Jersey, republished for a national target audience.
Traditional Village Ordinance Correa, Valle & Valle 1997 United States - Monroe County, FL This is a TND ordinance written for small villages. There is no other model except for neighborhoods here.
Transit-Oriented Development Guidelines Calthorpe Associates 1992 United States - San Diego, CA This is a complete TOD ordinance. Each page has a code element, discussion, and justification. The core area is compatible with neighborhood provisions.
Visions for a New American Dream Anton C. Nelessen 1994 United States This is a manual for the planning and design of small communities. It is supportive of neighborhood structure. The book moves from concept to principles to giving a sample ordinance.