The Louisiana Land Use Toolkit is supported and funded by the Louisiana Department of Economic Development (LED) and the Center of Planning of Excellence (CPEX). The Toolkit is a model development code (zoning and subdivision regulations) steeped in smart growth principles. It is written so that local governments in Louisiana can download the Toolkit, tailor it to meet their local conditions, and apply the results to guide future growth in a sustainable manner. No community is one size fits all and their development codes shouldn’t be either.
A "smart growth" development code understands that a commercial building in an urban setting is going to be different in character from a commercial building in a suburban setting. The Toolkit responds to this need by organizing its components around seven context areas: Natural, Rural, Estate, Suburban, Urban, Center and Special. Articles within the Toolkit contain specific rules for each context area. The context areas are important because they keep the right type of development in the right areas of the community. Rural areas stay rural, while urban areas become more compact.
Components of the Toolkit
There are four main components of the Toolkit: context areas; use districts; building types; and streets and blocks.
Context Areas Woven throughout the Toolkit is the idea of context areas. To use the Toolkit effectively, a jurisdiction must map their community by context area according to their established community vision (as set out in a comprehensive plan). Once mapped, the remaining components of the Toolkit may then, and only then, be calibrated to provide the specific rules for each context area.
Use Districts A diverse mix of land uses is one key to a neighborhood developing a sense of place and becoming a healthy sustainable community. The Toolkit establishes a number of zoning districts, only certain zoning districts are allowed in specific context areas, not every district is allowed in every context.
Building Types Just as important as land use (if not more so) is building type. Buildings should be developed in a form that allows and encourages adaptive reuse over time. Since the Toolkit is organized by context, the building types ensure that you get the right form of building in the right location. And that means not all building types are appropriate in all contexts.
Streets & Blocks Just like building types, streets and blocks should be contextually sensitive. The look and feel of a pedestrian friendly, urban main street is different than the look and feel of a rural farm road. Likewise, blocks in an urban context tend to be smaller than blocks in a rural context.
Planning and Context Areas Learn more about the importance of comprehensive planning and context areas.
