ABSTRACT
Coding is integral to the French planning system. The core elements are a zoning plan, a set of regulations, and a mechanism for administering building permits in accordance with the plan and regulations. All three elements have roots in historical practice in France and have been elaborated over four hundred years as the whole French planning system emerged and developed. The first part of this chapter gives a brief sketch of the historical development of the French planning system and explores the place of coding within it. The second part goes on to examine more recent developments of the system that incorporate typomorphological analysis to make the coding more responsive to local and regional character. The piece concludes by suggesting that in addition to its function as a means of control, coding within the French system can be seen as a repository of learning which can be enhanced by a fusion with the typomorphological approach.
