Browsing by Subject "Zoning"
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Item Best practices in form based coding(2008-08) Grantham, Scott Wesley; Butler, Kent S.This report is an exploration of theoretical and applied aspects of form-based coding. First, it presents an in-depth look at conventional zoning, conditions surrounding its origins around the turn of the twentieth century, the system of legal precedents that supports zoning, the evolution of the zoning “toolkit”, and the scope of zoning policies which are prevalent today. Second, form-based codes are defined and differentiated from conventional codes as well as design guidelines. The organizing principles on which FBCs are based are explained and the components of FBCs are described. Issues and controversy surrounding FBCs are discussed. Third, diverse case studies from around the country are carried out in order to examine how form-based codes are developed and applied in various real-world contexts. Case studies are presented in two different tiers, primary and secondary. Primary case studies involve in-depth research, whereas secondary case studies receive a brief, overview-style treatment. Primary case studies are: St. Lucie County, Florida and Sarasota County, Florida. Secondary case studies are: Leander, Texas; Peoria, Illinois; Montgomery, Alabama; Arlington County, Virginia; Hercules, California; and Miami, Florida. Fourth, conclusions are drawn from the research and point towards best practices in form-based coding. The report concludes that form-based codes are not a cure-all, should be developed in the context of a visioning process, and should strike a balance in terms of regulation. Additionally, market factors play a major role. The high cost of coding is a major concern. Furthermore, code writers should be prepared to educate the public as part of their profession.Item Boston Urban Development(1990-04-13) Schmidt, EricAudio files are EID restricted. Individuals without an EID should send an email request to apl-aaa@lib.utexas.edu.Item The Cell and the World(1991-02-20) Pope, AlbertAudio files are EID restricted. Individuals without an EID should send an email request to apl-aaa@lib.utexas.edu.Item Challenging the land use planning status quo in the Austin metro area(2023-04-19) Smith, Kayla Michele; Wegmann, JakeThis report explores potential urban land use planning implications of changes both accelerated and brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic that began in March of 2020. Analysis of current trends is first grounded by a literature review that examines the origins of urban systems and considers methodologies for conducting and evaluating land use planning and implementation efforts. The three notable trends studied are: increased remote and hybrid working arrangements, housing supply shortages and affordability challenges, and acknowledgement of disparate urban experiences based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Discussion of the disruptive potential of these trends aims to move the land use planning field beyond its reactive status quo toward consideration of how cities and metro areas can strategically position themselves to adapt and thrive in the face of changing futures. A case study of the Austin Metro Area examines specific manifestations of these trends and proposes challenges to the current land use planning approach in the region and its principal city. Planning and regulation of land use must be more flexible in the face of uncertainty, more cognizant of historical planning interventions and the disparate impacts of exclusionary policies, and more responsive to changing patterns of socioeconomic geographic distribution related to affordability, mobility, and economic opportunity for both households and the region. Additionally, future land use planning must center the needs of diverse types of people and their use patterns rather than seeking to achieve “ideal” urban forms derived from often outdated and worker-focused assumptions about how people interact with the built environment. To support this approach, planners require better means of collecting and monitoring real-time data about population characteristics, economic activity, mobility, and the real estate market, particularly in a quickly evolving urban system like the Austin Metro AreaItem Conditional use regulations on multi-amily housing and patterns of segregation in Auburn, AL(2016-05) Cleveland, Julie C.; Mueller, Elizabeth J.; Oden, MichaelThe U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently passed a new rule that requires entities that receive federal funding from HUD to take steps to “affirmatively further” fair housing. HUD’s new rule includes an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH). One of the requirements in the AFH is to examine segregation and integration in the city and to determine if zoning and land use laws have contributed to patterns of segregation. This paper looks specifically at the city of Auburn, AL and its zoning and conditional use regulations on multi-family housing. It examines patterns of racial segregation and ways in which zoning and land use laws, specifically conditional use regulations on multi-family housing, have perpetuated segregation in the city.Item Dollars for duplexes : assessing the fiscal impact of regulatory processes in Austin, Texas(2019-09-05) Andrews, Larsen Edward; Wegmann, Jake; Mueller, ElizabethBy testing the relationships between regulations and unit costs of duplexes in Austin, Texas, this master’s report seeks to offer a new quantitative basis to which future plans and policies on missing middle housing can refer. Across the country, housing development has become increasingly focused on the poles of the density spectrum: single-family detached units and mid-rise apartment blocks. This is evident in Austin, Texas, where missing middle housing has becoming a topic of fierce debate among neighborhood groups, housing advocates, and planners. A common claim is that regulatory processes add financial burdens to developers of missing middle housing, which are then passed down to consumers. This report gathers data from building permits and Zillow to compare the size, count, and cost of units affected and unaffected by various regulatory procedures to determine whether this assumption is true in Austin.Item The effect of local planning actions on environmental injustice : Corpus Christi's refinery row neighborhoods(2015-05) Beeler, Melissa Morgan; Mueller, Elizabeth J.; Rawlins, RachaelPublic health problems associated with industrial and hazardous waste facilities seriously and disproportionately impact some communities more than others and have been the subject of environmental justice research for decades. This report aims to 1) evaluate whether and how local planning policies have contributed to a concentration of minorities and poverty adjacent to industry in Corpus Christi's north side, and 2) examine actions that planners and city officials could take to successfully mitigate environmental justice problems. City plans, reports and zoning maps relating to the north side were reviewed to understand whether the City has contributed to the neighborhoods' proximity to industrial sites. These documents suggest that city actions have had some role in the minority neighborhoods' proximity to environmental hazards, especially in the early years of planning in Corpus Christi. Lessons learned from these planning documents are discussed, as well as recommendations for future planning efforts in the north side.Item Evaluating the density bonus as a tool for affordable housing production in Austin, TX(2020-05-07) Altazan, Elisabeth Ashleigh; Mueller, Elizabeth J.Inclusionary zoning practices include policies that require or incentivize real estate developers to include affordable housing units in their market-rate developments. In Austin, this is done by a policy mechanism called the density bonus, which offers developers the option to include more density than is allowed in the base zoning in exchange for including affordable units or paying a fee that will be used toward affordable housing development in other locations. Austin has employed density bonus policies since 2003, which have produced 1,665 affordable units and have raised over $6.5 million dollars used toward developing or preserving affordable housing in the city. They City of Austin plans to expand the use of density bonus programs to produce affordable housing in future changes to the land development code. This study evaluates the success of Austin’s density bonus programs and how proposed density bonus programs may perform. Costs and location of density bonus programs and other city-funded affordable housing programs are compared to evaluate the performance of the density bonus programs. The analysis finds density bonus units are much cheaper to the city and out-perform other city-subsidized units in terms of providing affordable housing in areas that do not have existing concentrations of poverty or minority populations. In addition, the study analyzes how local rents and other regulations affect density bonus unit production and finds the proposed density bonus programs are unlikely to be successful without accounting for hyper-local housing market trends. Last, the study offers recommendations for Austin’s density bonus programs based on the analysesItem Fiscal impact analysis for a smart growth zoning strategy : a study of West Campus University neighborhood overlay district(2008-05) Cho, Kyusuk; Paterson, Robert G.This report reviews the cost of urban sprawl and shows the fiscal impact of smart growth. The report then focuses on the West Campus University Neighborhood Overlay (UNO) District in Austin, Texas, and it analyzes and estimates the fiscal impact on the City of Austin. Through fiscal impact analysis, it examines the contribution of the UNO District to the fiscal position of the City of Austin. As a result, this report gives the City of Austin fiscal reasons for redevelopment based on the smart growth scenario. This report begins with showing the cost of urban sprawl. Then, it reviews the history,principles, and policies of smart growth. The following section demonstrates the fiscal impact of smart growth. Lastly, the case of the West Campus area is examined by fiscal impact analysis. The result after the analysis shows the fiscal impacts on the City of Austin from both sides of budget, including expenditures and revenues. The revenues received from the residents of the area increased due to the sudden jump in property value, growth population, housing constructions, and mixed-use development. However, the costs also increased due to the needs for public services.Item Meaningful Urbanism: A human-centered approach to placemaking using form-based zoning codes(2020) Hyden, Sarah; Lopez, Sarah; Hoelscher, StevenThe professional perspectives that planners, designers, government officials, real estate developers, and other trained ‘experts’ have on urban space are often very different from the lived experiences of the people who actually live in communities. This results in the need for planning methods that not only accommodate people’s everyday perspectives, but center them in the process of designing the urban landscape. This thesis examines how the creation and conception of place are central to people’s experiences and considers form-based zoning as a potential mechanism for implementing human-centered values in actual built environments. It examines the emergence of zoning as a way of exerting control over space, phenomenological perspectives on urban placemaking, and how the conveyance of meaning in the built environment shapes people’s lives. It finds that form-based coding can facilitate meaningful placemaking in a way that conventional zoning frameworks do not. The coding process and outcomes of two form-based developments in the Austin area, the Mueller neighborhood and the Leander transit-oriented development, are then outlined as examples of implementation.Item The relationship between school and city planning in the Austin-Round Rock MSA(2006-08) Fagan, Jill Marie; McMillan, Tracy E.This professional report examined the relationship between school and city planning in the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Six municipalities were selected for the study based on their type of locale: Large or Mid-size Central City, Urban Fringe of Large City, or Rural. Both elected or appointed and staff officials were invited to participate in an electronic survey. Through the survey, data was collected on the current interactions and communications between school and city planning officials. The survey also asked respondents their opinions on the desired relationship between school and city planning and the importance of various influencing factors on school planning. The data was examined by the size of the municipality and type of position held by the respondent to look for similarities or anomalies across the various classifications. The conclusions of this report provide recommendations for the desired relationship between school and city planning based on the survey conducted locally and the background information gained through research.Item Sills and laccoliths(2009-04) Barker, Daniel S.Item Smart sprawl : an examination of successful conservation development ordinances and practices and recommendations for Central Texas(2008-05) McCarthy, Meghan Joyce; Paterson, Robert G.This report is not intended to argue how sprawl is to be stopped. Infill development is too limited to support the growth cities are expecting, and with a market of buyers who desire to live outside of the city and own a little piece of the country, can there really be an end to sprawl? Rather, this report identifies a method of sprawling smartly: conservation development. As an alternative to conventional subdivision, conservation subdivision developments perpetually preserve a significant portion— usually half—of the development site as open space. This report examines the conservation subdivision ordinances that municipalities have adopted as an alternative or, in some cases, to replace conventional subdivision regulations, and the strategies they exercise that affect a change in the way we sprawl.Item State of the practice : regulatory options for neighborhood protection from out-of-context infill residential development(2006-08) Eldridge, Roswell, active 2006; Butler, Kent S.; Paterson, Robert G.Successful residential infill is an important development model that benefits a community through reinvestment in older neighborhoods, retention of open space, and improved quality of life. However, local governments around the country are contending with problems created by infill homes that are incompatible with the existing neighborhood. This out-of-context development threatens the character of many older neighborhoods and often causes strong resident opposition to any new construction, to the point that some governments have imposed building moratoria to block all projects. Contextual infill standards and neighborhood conservation overlays are two regulatory tools that jurisdictions can use to guide infill construction that protect community character and reduce neighborhood opposition. In this report, the author provides a survey of how communities currently use these approaches and provides an assessment of their success at promoting compatible development in different infill scenarios.Item Study for application of Form Based Code (FBC) to Seoul(2015-05) Kim, Changhwan, M.S.C.R.P; Paterson, Robert G.; Jiao, JunfengThis report seeks to improve Seoul's existing urban planning system through the elements and practices of current Form-Based Code (FBC) in United States. Because Seoul's planning system has similar problems with the conventional zoning practice that the FBC purposes to overcome, the FBC practices in US provides meaningful examples that could help make Seoul's planning system more organized and sustainable. First, this report presents definitions, purpose, background, basic principles and elements of the FBC, and then explores expected benefits and criticism that has emerged from various reports and publications. Second, the Miami, Florida and Denver, Colorado FBC cases are analyzed and assessed to examine its real impact and implications for a citywide FBC adoption. The conclusion of this study provides what should be considered important to an FBC and how to apply an FBC to Seoul, and conclusion of this study.Item Thinking beyond the homeless encampment(2023-04-21) DeNiro, Dominic Riley; Wegmann, JakeThis thesis explores the Tiny House Village Model as a critical framework for developing intentional homeless communities, or IHCs, that better serve the housing, service, and social needs of those experiencing homelessness. This research examines different approaches to land ownership, land-use & zoning regulations, and financing tools that allow transitional congregate shelters and affordable tiny house villages to be more easily constructed on land within the urban area. Additionally, this research considers the various aspects of housing and community design that can be used in these projects to give planning and development professionals an idea of how to best create these communities to allow a positive transitional and permanent housing experience. Using lessons from seven case studies across Oregon, Washington, and Texas, this research offers a resource guide for planners and housing leaders in the Austin community to use when thinking about innovative and human-centered approaches to housing the city’s homeless population. This research focuses on the City of Austin and addresses how local government can best support these projects by enacting policies and regulations that provide legal grounding, support, and recognition of this type of housing infrastructure. Results include strategies for creating IHCs through existing and proposed land ownership, regulatory, and financing tools to give the City of Austin the best chance of creating alternative housing types for the unhoused populationItem The zoning change process in Austin, Texas(2008-05) Blunt, John Wallace; Butler, Kent S.The purpose of this report is to analyze the zoning change process in Austin, Texas. The report examines Austin's type of city government followed by an overview of zoning in the United States and Austin. The report chronicles the evolution of the Austin Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan and the Neighborhood Planning Area during the time period 1979-1997. Since 1997, zoning change protocol has become intertwined with neighborhood planning such that both must be discussed in detail. The extreme real estate cycles from 1982 to the present are also discussed. Economic conditions played a key role in the slow enactment of neighborhood planning in Austin. The report examines the jurisdictional boundaries of Austin and the governmental bodies charged with hearing zoning cases. After discussing the motivations of the market participants seeking zoning changes, the report analyzes four case studies to illustrate the basic types of zoning cases today. Finally, the report draws conclusions and offers suggestions for improving the efficiency and fairness of the zoning change process in Austin, Texas.