Spatiotemporal Analysis of Mixed-Use Planning & Patterns in Milwaukee, St. Louis & Tampa

Abstract

Land use integration has emerged as an important sustainability principle in the last three decades, with many American cities recently reforming their land use policies to promote mixed-use developments. This study examines policies and regulations on land use integration in the last two decades in the U.S. cities of Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Tampa. These three cities have been among the leading communities implementing New Urbanist, mixed-use developments. This study also examines land use patterns in these three cities and evaluates whether changes in land use policy and regulations can be observed in spatial patterns. The analysis of comprehensive plans and zoning ordinances reveals that these jurisdictions have established and increased efforts to promote mixed-use developments. The quantitative spatial analysis using Balance and Entropy indices shows small changes in overall city-wide land use mix patterns. Noteworthy positive changes mostly cluster in downtown areas where residential and non-residential proportions have become more even. Identified barriers to increasing land use mix include the long-standing tradition of zoning practices and the planning efforts targeting particular areas and not extending throughout these jurisdictions. This study also recognizes other potential factors affecting land use integration, including residential preferences, population growth, political leadership, and infrastructure legacies.