29 Small City Housing • Feature • Zone Allentown configuration works in other parts of the city and shares elements the code prioritizes, such as strong frontage and communal green space with recreational and health benefits. It was acknowledged that these configurations could be added to existing communities in a compatible way” (Gomez). The court configuration clusters multiple smaller single-family homes around a shared green space which takes more advantage of the available land. Again, the city integrated more dense types or configurations to increase density in traditionally singlefamily areas. Zone Allentown is a context-sensitive code, developed around a set of building types that reflect the city’s existing environment and its potential for future development. “It builds on that compact, walkable urban form that exists as you approach the center of the city. The question is how that style of development can be matched and scaled effectively across the city” (Tormann). Unlike traditional zoning, Zone Allentown aims to be “compatible” with what already exists and create opportunities to reintroduce the city’s most desirable historic patterns that have shaped walkable neighborhoods. At the same time, Zone Allentown avoids letting compatibility become a barrier to change. The city introduces new aspirational forms of development – including allowing new building configurations and existing building types in new locations – to support Allentown’s housing, economic, and community goals. These principles have created a code that can remain flexible and able to adapt to new priorities over time. “Zoning codes are living, breathing documents that need to be refined annually and updated regularly. We hope to keep that momentum going and make sure this is a code that evolves alongside the city’s growth and future needs.” (Gomez). With a committed post-adoption amendment period, Allentown is ensuring that Zone Allentown continues to evolve as it moves from regulatory reform to implementation. The code builds on the city’s past in order to respond to its present and make more room for the future.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0OTQ5OA==