This is a handbook that sets out objectives, policies and design principles for planning new communities and re-planning existing ones. The emphasis is on planning by design, that is, by applying principles of urban design and physicalplace making to planning problems.Instead of the conventional planning methodology of outlining uses and policies with two-dimensional graphics and dense technical language, this bookdemonstrates, via a series of case studies, how better plans can be produced and better places created by working in three-dimensional urban design detail. Using the specific physical attributes of natural and urban places, utilizing traditional, human-scaled urban typologies, and presenting design solutions for development control in a simplified way, the authors explain in simple steps howcommunities can radically improve their town planning process.Relationships are drawn between physical design and community goals, socioeconomic conditions, and sustainable growth management policies. The emphasis is on the design of the physical form and appearance of urban and suburban areas as the means of balancing the often conflicting objectives ofdevelopment and conservation.