ABSTRACT
Many professional planners are increasingly feeling the effects of a growing public dissatisfaction with typical suburban approaches to new development that erode the special qualities of their communities. Drawing from the traditional hamlet development pattern, the plan and zoning districts for rural area require residential development to be clustered at densities that vary by subarea. Despite the best intentions, many planning studies overlook some of the most important aspects of a community that make it a special place. In all participatory approaches, the common theme is that "the community is the expert," based on the belief that creating an informed public that decides its own future is one of the best ways to foster positive change. Reluctant to further downzone, financially unable to purchase a significant number of development rights, and generated higher public service delivery costs, the supervisors considered several alternative growth patterns.
