Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims at increasing awareness about the challenges of living – and the opportunities of thriving – within democratic regulation cultures as a planner and a designer. It provides a simple theoretical framework that underlines the importance of crafting dynamic rules within form-based codes, as an effective way to communicate various aspects of urban form, create consensus, and make informed decisions. The book provides a theoretical framework that clarifies why working within dynamic legal systems in local democracies is a necessity today for practitioners of urban planning and design, and how crafting dynamic rules may facilitate effective communication which is crucial within these regulation cultures. It also provides simple tools for crafting dynamic rules in form-based codes that can not only facilitate form-based consensus, but also address issues of sustainability and response to the climatic urgencies.