EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITIES OF ZONING TECHNIQUES IN ASSURING URBAN QUALITY OF LIFE

For many, quality of life is significantly associated with prosperity. Owing to the fact that zoning is in charge of predetermining designs and coordination of all that make up cities and towns, including its streets and sidewalks, buildings, community, etc., it would be logical to infer that it can also be regarded as a secure means to insure urban quality of life. However, as there are various approaches to zoning, this paper compares the possibilities of two most popular methods in observing features that could enhance the urban quality of life in public spaces, ranging from commercial centers, plazas, and squares, to small, local neighborhood parks. In particular, thisstudy focuses on the ability of two types of zoning designs: Traditional vs. Form- Based Codes (FBC) in making high quality life in the city possible. To do so, a full comparison of the two types of zoning with reference to nine characteristics of good urban design (including density, mixed-use, streets and sidewalks, buildings, sense of place, fit, access, control, and equity) is undertaken to understand how zoning policies can help to nurture a more pleasant life in the urban areas. The results indicate that although each design and form is unique to each community and each development, there are inherent components in FBC which secure its adoption in the quest for urban quality of life, and hence prosperity.