Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Experiments with Smart Zoning for Smart Cities

  • Chapter
Smart Cities as Democratic Ecologies

Abstract

A city that has adopted the technology that makes it a “smart city” can use “smart zoning” to achieve its land-use goals. We believe that to make smart cities work, we need them to be more “variably” dense than they are. However, regardless of the land-use goal, smart technology can support the use of smart zoning to achieve that goal. We define smart zoning as using technology to (1) specify outputs rather than inputs; (2) use formulas rather than specifications; and (c) request, gather, and analyze citizen input on goals and particular zoning decisions. Smart zoning has the potential to provide a more flexible model of zoning, responsive to public needs and demands, than traditional “Euclidean” methods of zoning.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), (n.d.). “Food deserts.” Retrieved from http://apps.ams.usda.gov/fooddeserts/fooddeserts.aspx on January 9, 2015.

  • American Nutrition Association (ANA) (2010). “USDA defines food deserts,” Nutrition Digest, 37(2). Retrieved from http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/usda-defines-food-deserts on January 9, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amherst Planning Department. (2012, March). “Innovative zoning in Amherst–a long history.” 2012 Annual Town Meeting Planning Board Reports to Town Meeting and Supplementary Materials: Supplementary Information Regarding the Village Center Rezoning. Retrieved from http://www.amherstma.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/18406 on February 24, 2014.

  • Barnett, J. (n.d.). “The way we were, the way we are: The theory and practice of designing cities since 1956.” Retrieved from http://centercityphila.org/BIDclass/docs/10_barnett.pdf on January 30, 2015.

  • Beyer, P. (2012, August 1). “Overlay zoning districts.” Livable New York Resource Manual, II.2.h. Retrieved from http://www.aging.ny.gov/LivableNY/ResourceManual/PlanningZoningAndDevelopment/II2h.pdf on February 24, 2014.

  • Blake, B. (2013, October 10). “Macon’s College Hill Alliance: Change in local perception brings international recognition.” Knight Blog. John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.knightfoundation.org/blogs/knightblog/2013/10/10/macons-college-hill-alliance-chan ge-local-perception -brings-international-recognition/ on March 2, 2014.

  • Burchell, R. W., and Galley, C. C. (n.d.). “Inclusionary zoning: Pros and cons.” Inclusionary zoning: A viable solution to the affordable housing crisis? Retrieved from http://ginsler.com/sites/ginsler/files/NHC-2.html on February 24, 2014.

  • Burns, P. K. ( 2014, January 14). “For a safer, healthier city, start walking.” WYPR 88.1 FM News. Retrieved from http://news.wypr.org/post/safer-healthier-city-start-walking on February 24, 2014.

  • Caragliu, A., Del Bo, C., and Nijkamp, P. (2011). “Smart cities in Europe.” Journal of Urban Technology, 18 (2), pp. 65–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Center for Applied Transect Studies (2009). “SmartCode version 9.2.” The Town Paper. Retrieved from http://www.transect.org/docs/3000-BookletSC-pdf.zip on February 24, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • City of Fitchburg, Wisconsin (2012). SmartCode District Resources. Retrieved from http://www.city.fitchburg.wi.us/departments/cityHall/planning/Smart CodeResources.php on February 28, 2014.

  • City of Fitchburg, Wisconsin (2014, February 24). Fitchburg WI, Code of Ordinances. Municipal Code Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.municode.com/Library#/WI/Fitchburg on February 28, 2014.

  • City of Saint John (2014). Maps and Air Photos. City of Saint John, Living. Retrieved from http://www.saintjohn.ca/en/home/living/maps/default.aspx on February 28, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • City of Saint John (2014). ZoneSJ. City of Saint John, Growth Community Development, Community Planning. Retrieved from http://www.saintjohn.ca/en/home/cityhall/developmentgrowth/communityplanning/zonesj/default.aspx on February 28, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • City of Scottsdale, Arizona (2014). myScottsdale. Scottsdale Media Center. Retrieved from http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/mediacenter/myScottsdale on February 28, 2014.

  • City of Toront. (2013, May 9). Zoning Bylaw 569–2013 Zoning Map. Retrieved from http://map.toronto.ca/maps/map.jsp?app=ZBL_CONSULT on February 28, 2014.

  • City of Seattle (2013, July 9). Seattle Launches High-Performance Building Pilot. Sustainable City Network. Retrieved from http://www.sustainablecitynetwork.com/topic_channels/building_housing/article_d6c015e6-e8f4–11e2-a8f6–001a4bcf6878.html on February 28, 2014.

  • CodeNEXT (2013, December 12). Survey Runs through December asdfghkl Community Character in January. Imagine Austin. Retrieved from http://www.austintexas.gov/blog/survey-runs-through-december-community-character-january on February 24, 2014.

  • Cole, R., Long, M., and Cole, I. ( 2013, August 28). Wholesale economic development.–I. approach. [Kindle book] Retrieved from Amazon.com.

    Google Scholar 

  • Concord Square Planning and Development, Inc. (n.d.). Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40R. Retrieved from http://www.concordsqdev.com/home/smart-growth-zoning/ on February 24, 2014.

  • D.C. Office of Planning (June 2008). Zoning Best Practices. Retrieved from https://www.communicationsmgr.com/projects/1355/docs/Zoning_BPs_whole.pdf on February 24, 2014.

  • Electronic Frontier Foundation (2012). Surveillance Drones. Retrieved from https://www.eff.org/issues/surveillance-drones on February 28, 2014.

  • Falk, T. (2013). “Top 10 Most Walkable U.S. Cities.” The Bulletin, 11 (November 8). SmartPlanet.com. Retrieved from http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/top- 1 0-most-walkable-us-cities/33 74 7?tag=content;siu-container on February 24, 2014.

  • Florida, R. (2013, August 5). “Why San Francisco may be the new Silicon Valley.” The Atlantic Cities. Washington, DC: The Atlantic. Retrieved from hhttp://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/08/why-san-francisco-may-be-new-silicon-valley/6295/ on March 2, 2014.

  • Goto, T. (1999). “Land use control regulation in Japan.” Tokyo, Tokyo Conference of the Asian City Development Strategy. Retrieved from http://www.gdrc.org/uem/observatory/land-regulation.html on January 15, 2015.

  • Green Valley Institute (n.d.). Innovative Zoning Techniques. Retrieved from http://www.greenvalleyinstitute.org/landuse_innovativezoning.htm on February 24, 2014.

  • Greenfield, A. (2013). “Against the smart city.” Urban Omnibus, October 23. The Architectural League. Retrieved from http://urbanomnibus.net/2013/10/ against-the-smart-city/ on February 24, 2014.

  • Gurran, N. (2011). Australian Urban Land Use Planning: Principles, Systems, and Practice: Second Edition. Sydney, Australia: Sydney University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirt, S. ( 2007, Autumn). “The devil is in the definitions: Contrasting American and German approaches to zoning.” Journal of the American Planning Association, 73(4). Retrieved from http://www.archive.spia.vt.edu/SPIA/docs/shirt/The_Devil_is_in_the_Definitions.pdf on January 9, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holeywell, R. (2013, December 13). “The most walkable cities and how some are making strides.” Governing. Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/topics/urban/gov-most-walkable-cities.html on February 24, 2014.

  • Housing Innovations Program (2014). Tool: Incentive Zoning. Puget Sound Regional Council. Retrieved from http://www.psrc.org/growth/hip/alltools/incent-zoning/ on February 24, 2014.

  • Inniss, L. B. (2007–2008). “Back to the future: Is form-based code an efficacious tool for shaping modern civic life?” University of Pennsylvania Journal of Law and Social Change, 11, pp. 75–103. Retrieved from https://www.law.upenn.edu/journals/jlasc/articles/volume11/issue1/Inniss11U.Pa.J.L.Soc.Change75%282007%29.pdf on January 9, 2015.

  • Iverson, C. (2013, November 18). “Time to change Minneapolis zoning codes.” Minnesota Daily. Retrieved from http://www.mndaily.com/opinion/columns/2013/11/17/time-change-minneapolis-zoning-codes on February 24, 2014.

  • KaBoom (2015). “What is a play desert?” Retrieved from http://kaboom.org/map_play/what_play_desert on January 9, 2015.

  • Karkkainen, B. C. (1994). “Zoning: A reply to the critics.” Journal of Land Use Environmental Law, 101. Retrieved from http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/landuse/vol101/karkkain.html on January 9, 2015.

  • Katz, B., and Bradley, J. (2013). The metropolitan revolution: How cities and metros are fixing our broken politics and fragile economy. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lungo, M. ( 2001, March). “Urban sprawl and land regulation in Latin America.” Land Lines, 13(2). Retrieved from http://www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/255_Urban-Sprawl-and-Land-Regulation-in-Latin-America on January 15, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin Prosperity Institute (2013, February 12). “Insight: Even smaller cities are growing.” Retrieved from http://martinprosperity.org/2013/02/12/insight-smaller-cities-growing/ on March 3, 2014.

  • Mason, First Name. (2010). “The effectiveness of speed display boards in reducing speeds in school-zones.” Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada: University of New Brunswick. (Term Paper CE 5943–Research Project; Supervisor: Dr. Eric Hildebrand )

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason, First Name, and Hildebrand, E. (2010). “The effectiveness of radar speed displays in school-zones: A Fredericton case study.” Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada: University of New Brunswick.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miovision.com (2013). Scout Video Collection Unit. Retrieved from http://miovision.com/traffic-data-solution/scout-video-collection-unit/ on March 3, 2014.

  • Motoyama, Y., and Konczal, J. (2013). “How can I create my favorite state tanking?: The hidden pitfalls of statistical indexes.” Journal of Applied Research in Economic Development, 10. Retrieved from http://journal.c2er.org/2013/09/how-can-i-create-my-favorite-state-ranking/ on February 24, 2014.

  • Mukherji, N., and Morales, A. (2010). “Zoning for urban agriculture.” Zoning Practice Issue, 3(March), Practice Urban Agriculture, American Planning Association. Retrieved from http://www.planning.org/zoningpractice/2010/pdf/mar.pdf on February 24, 2014.

  • Nashua Regional Planning Commission (n.d.). “Performance zoning.” Integrating Transportation and Community Planning Fact Sheet 34. Retrieved from http://www.nashuarpc.org/landuse/PDF_files/fact_sheets/FS34_Performance_Zoning.pdf on February 24, 2014.

  • National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) (n.d.). “Play deserts.” Retrieved from http://www.nrpa.org/Grants-and-Partners/Recreation-and-Health/Play-Deserts/ on January 9, 2015.

  • New Cities Foundation (2012). Smart Regulation. “Explaining Key Concepts for the Cities of Tomorrow” series, Discussion Paper #1. http://www.newcitiesfoundation.org. Retrieved from http://issuu.com/newcitiesfoundation/docs/new-cities-foundation-smart-regulation?e=5065274/1327018 on February 24, 2014.

  • Nicholson, C. ( 2014, February 17 and 24). “QA: Marcus Quigley on how the Internet of Things is automating city systems.” The Bulletin, I11. SmartPlanet.com. Retrieved from http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/pure-genius/qa-marcus-quigley-on-how-the-internet-of-things-is-automating-city-systems/?tag=nl.e662s_cid=e662ttag=e662ftag=TRE383a915 on February 24, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norton, M. ( 2013, November 2). “Your property now on hi-tech zoning map.” [Facebook post] Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/melnortonsj/posts/10151973678161181 on February 28, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (2013). “Building a greenbelt.” Land Use Planning, Greenbelt Protection. Retrieved from hhttp://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page1396.aspx on March 3, 2014.

  • Ottensmann, J. R. (1999–2000). “Market-based exchanges of rights within a system of performance zoning.” Planning Markets 1(1).

    Google Scholar 

  • Paradis, D. (2011). A Retrospective Analysis of Speed Reduction Strategies. CE 5943 Research Project Term Paper. University of New Brunswick.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peirce, Neil. ( 2013, August 23). “Smart city thinking.” Citiwire.net, Sunday, August 25, 2013. Washington Post Writers Group. Retrieved from http://citiwire.net/columns/smart-city-thinking/ on February 24, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Planning Division. (2014). City of Boise. Retrieved from http://pds.cityofboise.org/planning/ on February 24, 2014.

  • Pogodzinski, J. M. (1991). “The effects of fiscal and exclusionary zoning on household location: A critical review.” Journal of Housing Research, 2 (2), pp. 145–160. Retrieved from http://content.knowledgeplex.org/kp2/img/cache/kp/2566.pdf on January 9, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riethmüller, R., and The Asian Working Group on Land Use Planning for the Asian-Pacific Region (1996). Experiences of land use planning in Asian projects: Selected insights, Colombo 1996, Eschborn, Germany, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Division 425 Multisectoral Urban and Rural Development Programmes. Retrieved from https://www.mpl.ird.fr/crea/taller-colombia/FAO/AGLL/pdfdocs/lup-asia.pdf on January 15, 2015.

  • Robinson, R. (2013, September 8). “Seven steps to a smarter city: And the imperative for taking them.” The Urban Technologist (blog). Retrieved from http://theurbantechnologist.com/2013/09/08/seven-steps-to-a-smarter-city-and-the-imperative-for-taking-them-updated-8th-september-2013/ on March 3, 2014.

  • Schleicher, D. ( 2013, May). “City unplanning.” The Yale Law Journal, 122 (7), pp. 1670–1737.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smart City Memphis. (December 15, 2011 ). “We need more zoning.” Retrieved from http://www.smartcitymemphis.com/2011/12/we-need-more-zoning/ on February 24, 2014.

  • SmartGrowth Online (2013, June 12), June 12). “Testing the results of municipal mixed-use zoning ordinances: A novel methodological approach.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from http://www.smartgrowth.org/engine/index.php/resources/2013/06/12/testing-the-results-of-municipal on February 24, 2014.

  • SmartGrowth Online (2013, October 30), October 30). “Examples of codes that support smart growth development.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/dced/codeexamples.htm on February 24, 2014.

  • Tapscott, D. (2013). “Introducing global solution networks.” Global Solution Networks. Retrieved from http://gsnetworks.org/introducing-global-solution-networks/ on February 24, 2014.

  • Tapscott, D., and Williams, A. D. (2008). Wikinomics: How mass collaboration changes everything (expanded ed.). Portfolio Hardcover. ISBN-10: 1591841933.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tapscott, D., and Williams, A. D. (2010). Macrowikinomics: Rebooting business and the world. Portfolio Hardcover. ISBN-10: 1591843561. ISBN-13: 978–1591843566.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.(2013, October 30). “Examples of codes that support smart growth development.” Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/codeexamples.htm on February 24, 2014.

  • Violino, B. ( 2014, February 12). “Smart cities are here today–and getting smarter.” Computerworld. Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9246179/Smart_cities_are_here_today_and_getting_smarter? source=CTWNLE_nlt_thisweek_2014–02–17 on February 24, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward-Proud, L. (2013, October 30). “Smart cities have arrived and the potential is huge.” City A.M. Retrieved from http://www.cityam.com/article/1383095607/smart-cities-have-arrived-and-potential-huge on February 24, 2014.

  • Wickersham, J. (2001). “Jane Jacob’s critique of zoning: From Euclid to Portland and beyond.” 28 B.C. Envtl. Aff. L. Rev. 547, Retrieved from http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/ealr/vol28/iss4/5 on January 9, 2015.

  • Williams, F. B. (1922). “The law of city planning and zoning,” in Ely, Richard T. (ed.), The Citizen’s Library of Economics, Politics and Sociology. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Hassan Arif
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Roland J. Cole
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Isabel A. Cole
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA

    Daniel Araya

Copyright information

© 2015 Hassan Arif, Roland J. Cole, and Isabel A. Cole

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Arif, H., Cole, R.J., Cole, I.A. (2015). Experiments with Smart Zoning for Smart Cities. In: Araya, D. (eds) Smart Cities as Democratic Ecologies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137377203_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation