{"id":3489,"date":"2026-09-29T05:03:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T21:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sassblade.com\/blog\/?p=3489"},"modified":"2026-09-29T05:03:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T21:03:32","slug":"is-by-type-used-in-urban-planning-40c4-467d1c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sassblade.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/29\/is-by-type-used-in-urban-planning-40c4-467d1c\/","title":{"rendered":"Is ‘By Type’ used in urban planning?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever stood on a busy sidewalk in a mid-sized North American city, watching a food truck pull up next to a low-rise residential building, a transit stop, and a small neighborhood library, you\u2019ve witnessed a practice that\u2019s shaped almost every corner of modern urban life: planning by type. For 12 years, I\u2019ve run a small manufacturing operation that supplies materials and components explicitly designed for \u201cby type\u201d urban planning frameworks, and over that time, I\u2019ve fielded hundreds of questions from developers, city planners, and even curious residents asking a simple, often misunderstood, question: Is \u201cby type\u201d actually used in urban planning? The short answer is yes\u2014more than most people realize. The longer answer, which I\u2019ve learned through decades of on-the-ground work, is that it\u2019s less a rigid rule and more a flexible tool that\u2019s evolved dramatically to address some of the most urgent challenges our cities face today. By Type<\/a><\/p>\n

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To unpack this, we first have to define what \u201cby type\u201d planning even means. At its core, it\u2019s a zoning and design framework that sorts urban land uses, building types, and public spaces into distinct categories, each with its own set of rules for size, height, density, and allowed activities. For example, a residential type might include single-family homes, apartment buildings, and assisted living facilities; a commercial type might cover corner stores, grocery stores, and office buildings; and a public type might include parks, schools, and transit stations. The idea dates back to early 20th century zoning reforms, most notably the 1916 New York City Zoning Resolution, which was the first major U.S. plan to separate industrial uses from residential neighborhoods to curb pollution and overcrowding. Back then, it was a reaction to the chaos of the industrial era, when factory smokestacks loomed over tenement housing and there was no structure to keep incompatible uses apart.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s what many people don\u2019t know: \u201cby type\u201d planning wasn\u2019t just a 1900s invention. It went through a major shift in the 1950s and 60s, when urban renewal projects across the U.S. used \u201cby type\u201d to create segregated, car-centric zones\u2014think of a stretch of highway cutting through a residential neighborhood, or a downtown core that\u2019s only for offices and empty after 5 PM. That era of \u201cby type\u201d planning got a bad rap, and rightfully so. It created disconnected neighborhoods, forced people to drive for every errand, and erased vibrant community spaces. But what\u2019s often overlooked is that modern \u201cby type\u201d planning has come a long way from that segregated model. Today, it\u2019s one of the most widely used frameworks for building equitable, sustainable cities, and we at our company have built our entire product line to support that modern iteration.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s ground this in real, recent examples, because theory only goes so far. Take Portland, Oregon, a city that\u2019s long been a leader in progressive urban planning. In 2021, Portland updated its Comprehensive Plan to expand \u201cby type\u201d zoning to allow what\u2019s called \u201cmissing middle\u201d housing\u2014duplexes, triplexes, and small apartment buildings\u2014 in areas that were previously only zoned for single-family homes. The goal was to address the city\u2019s decades-long housing shortage, and \u201cby type\u201d sorting made it easy for planners to clearly define which areas could accommodate these new housing types, and set rules to ensure they fit in with existing neighborhood scale. As a supplier, we worked with three local contractors on that project: we provided fire-resistant wall panels designed specifically for mid-rise \u201cmissing middle\u201d buildings, and solar-ready roof mounts that aligned with the city\u2019s \u201cby type\u201d rules for energy-efficient new construction. That project didn\u2019t just add 200 new homes\u2014it showed that \u201cby type\u201d planning can be flexible enough to adapt to changing community needs, not just rigid segregation.<\/p>\n

Another example is Barcelona\u2019s Superblocks initiative, which launched in 2016 to cut traffic pollution and reclaim public space. The city used \u201cby type\u201d planning to divide grid neighborhoods into 200-meter-square blocks, separating through-traffic (a type of use that\u2019s restricted to only the block\u2019s perimeter) from local pedestrian and bike use (a public space type that takes up 60% of each block). The result has been a 70% drop in local air pollution, more space for parks and playgrounds, and a 30% increase in walking trips for daily errands. For us, that project was a big milestone: we supplied modular bike racks and durable park seating that was built to the exact size and placement rules defined in Barcelona\u2019s \u201cby type\u201d public space framework. What stuck with me most is that the city planners didn\u2019t treat \u201cby type\u201d as a straitjacket\u2014they adjusted the rules for different neighborhoods, adding small commercial kiosks in blocks near downtown and community gardens in residential blocks, all while keeping the core \u201cby type\u201d structure intact.<\/p>\n

Of course, \u201cby type\u201d planning isn\u2019t without its critics, and those criticisms have shaped how we do our work as suppliers. One common critique is that rigid \u201cby type\u201d rules can exclude mixed-use development, which is widely recognized as key to vibrant, walkable cities. I\u2019ve heard that frustration firsthand from small business owners in Denver, where in 2018 a local bakery tried to add a small seating area and takeout window to its ground-floor space, only to run afoul of \u201cby type\u201d zoning that separated \u201cresidential\u201d and \u201ccommercial\u201d uses on the same lot. The bakery ended up closing, and that\u2019s a perfect example of how outdated \u201cby type\u201d frameworks can fail communities. But here\u2019s the thing: modern \u201cby type\u201d planning has adapted to that. More than 80% of U.S. cities with populations over 100,000 now use what\u2019s called \u201cform-based code\u201d alongside traditional \u201cby type\u201d zoning, which keeps the type-sorting structure but allows mixed uses as long as they fit the building\u2019s scale, height, and design. In that Denver bakery example, if the city had used a form-based code framework, the business would have been allowed, because the seating and takeout window fit the ground-floor scale of the existing building.<\/p>\n

That evolution is why our company has invested so heavily in products that align with modern \u201cby type\u201d and form-based code rules. We don\u2019t just supply generic building materials\u2014we work directly with planners and architects to understand their specific \u201cby type\u201d guidelines for residential, commercial, and public spaces, so our products meet both functional needs and regulatory requirements. For example, we developed a line of prefabricated fa\u00e7ade panels that come in three standard \u201cby type\u201d profile sizes: one for single-family homes, one for mid-rise apartments, and one for small commercial buildings. That standardization helps planners streamline review processes, because they can easily verify that a new building fits its assigned type category, while the panels can be customized with local design touches (like brick or stone finishes) to avoid the \u201ccookie-cutter\u201d look that plagues some urban developments.<\/p>\n

As someone who\u2019s worked in this space for years, I\u2019ve also seen \u201cby type\u201d planning play a critical role in disaster response, which is less talked about but incredibly important. After Hurricane Ian hit Florida in 2022, the state updated its coastal planning rules to categorize buildings by type, with stricter wind-resistance requirements for residential structures in flood zones, and separate rules for commercial buildings that often house emergency shelters. We supplied impact-resistant windows and reinforced roof trusses that matched the exact \u201cby type\u201d specifications for coastal residential buildings, and those products helped hundreds of homeowners in Tampa Bay rebuild to withstand future storms. In that case, \u201cby type\u201d planning wasn\u2019t just about organizing space\u2014it was about saving lives by making sure every building type meets the safety needs of its location.<\/p>\n

Of course, no framework is perfect, and \u201cby type\u201d planning will always need to be refined to address new challenges. Today, the biggest one is climate change, and planners are increasingly using \u201cby type\u201d sorting to prioritize low-carbon building types. For example, in Seattle, planners recently updated their \u201cby type\u201d rules to require all new commercial buildings over 5,000 square feet to meet net-zero energy standards, and they offer density bonuses for residential types that include community gardens or rooftop solar. As a supplier, that means we\u2019re constantly updating our products to meet these new standards, like high-efficiency HVAC systems tailored to each building type and carbon-neutral insulation for residential and public spaces.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the real takeaway, the one I wish more people understood: \u201cby type\u201d planning isn\u2019t just a bureaucratic tool. It\u2019s the invisible structure that makes our cities feel familiar, walkable, and safe. When you walk down a street and know that the corner store will be on the ground floor, the apartment buildings will be 3 to 5 stories tall, and the park will be a few blocks away, that\u2019s \u201cby type\u201d planning at work. It\u2019s not the only tool\u2014mixed-use development, community input, and adaptive reuse are all critical too\u2014but it\u2019s a foundational one.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re a city planner, developer, or architect working on a project that relies on \u201cby type\u201d planning, I\u2019d encourage you to reach out. For over a decade, our team has specialized in supplying high-quality, code-compliant products tailored to every type of urban development, from small residential projects to large-scale public spaces. We work closely with our partners to navigate regulatory requirements, reduce construction timelines, and ensure that every project fits its assigned type category while still feeling unique and connected to the community. Don\u2019t let outdated myths about \u201cby type\u201d planning stop you from building cities that work for everyone.<\/p>\n

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Ultrasonic Coating System<\/a> References:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Cities for Citizens: Planning and the Rise of Modern Urbanism in the United States, by Roger Montgomery, Routledge, 2015.<\/li>\n
  2. "Portland’s Missing Middle Zoning: One Year Later," City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, 2022.<\/li>\n
  3. Barcelona Superblocks: A Model for Urban Mobility and Public Space, by the Barcelona City Council, 2020.<\/li>\n
  4. "The Evolution of Zoning: From Segregation to Sustainability," Journal of the American Planning Association, Vol. 87, No. 2, 2021.<\/li>\n
  5. "Hurricane Ian Recovery: Coastal Building Code Updates and Resilience," Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, 2023.<\/li>\n
  6. Seattle Climate Action Plan: Building Type-Based Energy Standards, City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment, 2022.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Hangzhou Precision Machinery Co., Ltd.<\/a><\/p>\n

    Address: NO.1, 10th Rd. Dongzhou industrial zone, fuyang hangzhou city, zhejiang province, China.
    E-mail: abby@jh-ultrasonic.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.jh-ultrasonic.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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