Hartford Wins 2020 Driehaus Form-Based Codes Award, Recognizing Comprehensive Zoning Code Rewrite

Hartford and Rancho Cucamonga (California) have been selected as the winners of the 2020 Richard H. Driehaus Form-Based Codes Award, presented by the Form-Based Codes Institute at Smart Growth America. Each year, the Driehaus Award recognizes communities that have adopted and implemented exemplary form-based zoning codes.

“We think Hartford’s form-based code will be a model for other cities, especially post-industrial cities with struggling economies. The fact that it is comprehensive – covering all neighborhoods and all buildings – is also unusual,” officials said.

“We are thrilled that the jury selected codes from two very different communities, demonstrating that good form-based codes can create great places in many different settings,” said Marta Goldsmith, Director of the Form-Based Codes Institute of Smart Growth America.

The differences in these two communities demonstrate the versatility and wide applicability of form-based zoning, the Institute pointed out. Hartford, described as a post-industrial legacy city trying to bring new life to the community, “did the challenging work of writing a new, citywide code from scratch.” Rancho Cucamonga, CA, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, worked with Sargent Town Planning to write the Etiwanda Heights Neighborhood Plan and Code to create a new neighborhood while conserving much of the natural environment.

Unlike conventional zoning which focuses on what happens inside of buildings, form-based codes focus on the look and feel of buildings and public spaces to create coherent, people-scaled places. In addition to the aesthetic benefits, modern form-based codes can promote equity and inclusion, support the fiscal health of a community, and provide a roadmap for future growth that benefits everyone.

In selecting Hartford for one of two awards this year, the Institute pointed out that “rewriting the zoning for an entire city is a huge challenge, but that is exactly what the City of Hartford did in 2016. Hartford threw out its 50 year old zoning code and replaced it with a new form-based code that recognizes and reinforces the distinct character of each neighborhood. The comprehensive code will make future development more predictable and streamline the project approval process.”

Where the old code had 63 pages of complex “use tables” that made development costly and time consuming, the new form-based code has just 3 pages of use tables with much more general categories. And easy-to-read graphics guide the reader through the standards that apply to their project, helping to facilitate, rather than hinder development, the Institute explained.

“Our citywide form-based code breathes new life into the walkable, historic neighborhoods our community has cherished for decades. It’s a forward-looking roadmap that positions Hartford to attract investment in vibrant, sustainable development for years to come,” said Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.

An example cited by the awards committee was the plan for a long-abandoned factory next to a bus rapid transit stop in an industrial area to re-open as an international food hall, after a $4 million renovation under the new form-based code. That facility, Parkville Market, has now opened, navigating the restrictions related to COVID-19 to do so.

Also highlighted by the Institute is the fact that “with the adoption of this new zoning code, Hartford also became the first city (with a population over ~100,000) that completely eliminated parking requirements. This will improve housing affordability and support the growth of walking and biking in the long-term, but also has important implications during a pandemic.”

Combined with new flexibility to set up “outdoor shop displays (with four feet of sidewalk clearance), farmer’s markets, and outdoor cafes,” Hartford’s new zoning code will help the city’s businesses rebound in the open air, they pointed out.

Bottom line, as far as the Institute is concerned:  “The Hartford Zoning Code is politically smart and offers an excellent example of a citywide solution for enhancing diverse neighborhoods while decreasing auto-dependence.”

This year’s Driehaus Award winners were selected by a panel of five experts in the field who reviewed all nominated codes for their ease of use, the predictability of private and public development, and innovation for creating good urban form. This award, now in its twelfth year, was made possible by the generous support of the Richard H. Driehaus Charitable Lead Trust.

Leading the way for Hartford’s comprehensive zoning code re-write was Planning & Zoning Commission chair Sara Bronin.  The city’s new zoning code has received considerable recognition since its completion. Hartford also was one of five winners of the Boston-based New England Chapter of the Congress of New Urbanism's 2016 Urbanism Award, and the recipient of recognition from nearly a half-dozen industry organizations including the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association.   

The Form-Based Codes Institute (FBCI), a program of Smart Growth America, is a professional organization dedicated to advancing the understanding and use of form-based codes.  Based in Washington, D.C., the Institute is a nonprofit corporation engaged in research, standards setting, outreach and education. Its mission is to advance the knowledge and use of, and develop standards for, Form-Based Codes as a method to achieve a community vision based on time-tested forms of urbanism.