Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
There are countless barriers to planning, designing, building, and enforcing compact, walkable communities. Many of these barriers stem from outdated zoning codes and ordinances, which make it illegal to create the type of thriving communities that residents and local leaders are seeking. Yet a limited number of cities and towns have reformed their zoning codes, creating inequities between communities with—and without—the resources to update their codes and create the regulatory foundation for diverse, vibrant places.
CNU's Project for Code Reform addresses this challenge by meeting planners, mayors and council members, and planning commissioners where they are: politically, financially, and administratively. The Project's incremental approach enables jurisdictions to set their own pace for code changes, allowing them to prioritize their coding efforts, respond to the community’s vision and needs, and facilitate greater community learning and understanding.
This training is built upon two guidance documents. Enabling Better Places: Users' Guide to Zoning Reform responds to the common conditions found in towns and small cities, simplifying the challenge of changing zoning in order to empower better downtowns, main streets, and their adjacent neighborhoods. As this guide was being developed, it became clear that there were distinct circumstances relative to a more suburban context, that were distinct from the general challenges of most main streets, downtowns, and their adjacent neighborhoods. As a result, Enabling Better Places: Commercial Corridors and Shopping Centers was created to further the research and recommendations of the original document through a more specific lens.
This curriculum is designed for Michigan planning professionals, municipal staff and elected officials, volunteers serving on planning commissions or development review boards, state policy makers, developers, designers and architects, and realtors seeking a bite-sized approach to tackling code reform.
There are countless barriers to planning, designing, building, and enforcing compact, walkable communities. Many of these barriers stem from outdated zoning codes and ordinances, which make it illegal to create the type of thriving communities that residents and local leaders are seeking. Yet a limited number of cities and towns have reformed their zoning codes, creating inequities between communities with—and without—the resources to update their codes and create the regulatory foundation for diverse, vibrant places.
CNU's Project for Code Reform addresses this challenge by meeting planners, mayors and council members, and planning commissioners where they are: politically, financially, and administratively. The Project's incremental approach enables jurisdictions to set their own pace for code changes, allowing them to prioritize their coding efforts, respond to the community’s vision and needs, and facilitate greater community learning and understanding.
This training is built upon two guidance documents. Enabling Better Places: Users' Guide to Zoning Reform responds to the common conditions found in towns and small cities, simplifying the challenge of changing zoning in order to empower better downtowns, main streets, and their adjacent neighborhoods. As this guide was being developed, it became clear that there were distinct circumstances relative to a more suburban context, that were distinct from the general challenges of most main streets, downtowns, and their adjacent neighborhoods. As a result, Enabling Better Places: Commercial Corridors and Shopping Centers was created to further the research and recommendations of the original document through a more specific lens.
This curriculum is designed for Michigan planning professionals, municipal staff and elected officials, volunteers serving on planning commissions or development review boards, state policy makers, developers, designers and architects, and realtors seeking a bite-sized approach to tackling code reform.
