Standards of Practice for Form-Based Codes

A well-crafted form-based code is the most effective form of development regulation for shaping pedestrian-scaled, mixed-use, and fine-grained urbanism. How does one determine if a development regulation is a form-based code and a well-crafted one? Click HERE to download a PDF of FBCI’s standards of practice for form-based codes. 

Definition of a Form-Based Code

A Form-Based Code:

• Is based on a sufficiently detailed physical plan and/or other clear community vision that directs development and aids implementation.
• Is focused primarily on regulating urban form and less focused on land use.
• Is regulatory rather than advisory.
• Emphasizes standards and parameters for form with predictable physical outcomes (build-to lines, frontage type requirements, etc.), rather than relying on numerical parameters (FAR, density, etc.) whose outcomes are often difficult to predict.
• Requires private buildings to shape public space through the use of building form standards with specific requirements for building placement and building frontages.
• Promotes and/or conserves an interconnected street network and pedestrian-scaled blocks.
• Keys regulations and standards to specific locations on a regulating plan.
• Incorporates diagrams that are unambiguous, clearly labeled, and accurate in their presentation of spatial configurations.

Standards of Practice for Form-Based Codes

To meet FBCI standards, a form-based code should:

Be enforceable:

• Is it effectively coordinated with other applicable policies and regulations that control development on the same property?
• Is the code designed, intended, and programmed to be regularly updated?
• Does the code format lend itself to convenient public distribution and use?

 Promote good urbanism:

• Will the code result in good urban form?
• Will the code shape the public realm to invite pedestrian use and social interaction?
• Will the code produce walkable, identifiable neighborhoods that provide for daily needs?
• Are parking requirements compatible with pedestrian-scaled urbanism?

Be simple and easy to use:

• In its organization/layout:
  • Is it easy to understand the layout in the first few pages or by flipping through it?
  • Can users easily find what is pertinent to their interest?
  • Are the procedures for code administration clearly described?

• With efficiency in the number of steps:
  • Does it have just the right number of steps in the decision tree to define the development opportunity, while still offering options and flexibility?

• With brevity:
  • No more pages than necessary for the scale of the codified area?

• With clear graphics as good communication tools:
  • Are the graphics tidy, concise, and do they convey information in a transparent manner?

• With an understandable, easy to follow, and speedy approval process, and

• With technical terms defined in a clear and understandable manner.

Be written to allow for predictable results without sacrificing variety in the size and shape of urban spaces and the design of buildings:

• Can users readily understand and execute the physical form intended by the code?
• Are the intentions of each regulation clearly described and apparent even to planning staff and citizens who did not participate in its preparation?