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

Content: Planners are nostalgic for a time before any of them were born--a time that people in their profession said was so bad that it could only be fixed by zoning. But zoning created many of the problems planners want to fix. And how are we supposed to fix them? More zoning. This time, however, planners want zoning with an attitude. 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.