SmartCode

Sprung from architects and planners seeking to find a common vernacular to apply to a generally byzantine land use regulation i.e. zoning, SmartCode: Ithaca Form-Based Code Demonstration is a hybrid form-based code that incorporates use, form, regional smart growth, and open space protection into a unified development code that can be adopted in whole or part by a municipality. SmartCode does not regulate building style and its prescriptive approach is not an endorsement or indictment of specific amenities; rather it codifies design standards and lot sizes that allow various uses across a continuum of spaces, known as transects, while remaining centered on what is special about the place it intends to govern. Developed by Duany-Plater-Zyberk & Co. as an open-source document designed to be easily modified or calibrated to match the particular character and goals of different communities. SmartCode allows building types, uses, and functions to have enough give to collectively provide an elastic response to rapidly fluctuating market conditions.