Title: Neotraditionalism
Headings: A Critique of Neotraditionalism
A Critique of Neotraditionalism
What is Neotraditionalism?
What is Metro?
Alternatives to Zoning

Content: Says Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, most zoning codes are proscriptive--they just try to prevent things from happening. For example, a zone calling for 5,000-square-foot building lots is a minimum, allowing people to use 10,000- or 20,000-foot building lots if they want. In contrast, says Plater-Zyberk, neotraditional zoning is prescriptive. We want the streets to feel and act a certain way. In other words, a zone might call for building lots with a maximum size of 5,000-square feet. Such prescriptive zoning is used in many places, including parts of the Portland area. The multifamily residential zone being considered for Oak Grove is prescriptive; it forbids anyone from building a single-family home. Planners got it wrong before and the urban blight that they now decry is their fault. How is it that giving them more power--the power not just to prevent certain uses but to prescribe certain uses--will fix the problem?