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 Home|Planning>Shape Sioux Falls>Land Use and De...>What is Shape Sioux Falls?

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What is Shape Sioux Falls?


Shape Sioux Falls is a community-wide visioning initiative to help determine the City’s land use development standards. The objective is to define the vision for the future development of the City as a part of the planned update of the comprehensive plan. These land use design standards will then be incorporated into the City’s planned update of the Zoning Ordinance.


Executive Summary


The Sioux Falls Visual Listening Survey was undertaken as a public input component of the Shape Sioux Falls initiative. The objective of this effort is to encourage community-wide participation in defining a vision for the future development of the City as part of the comprehensive plan update. The survey was administered through a web-based internet site as well as through thirteen community survey meetings held throughout the community.


A total of 1,466 survey responses were collected. Below are the top 15 rated images to help illustrate the citizen's development preferences as analyzed from all 167 images.




Incorporation of quality open space
Consideration of nonmotorized forms of travel
Sensitivity to historical design character
Commercial districts that encourage tight building setbacks from public sidewalks and quality pedestrian amenities

Pedestrian architectural scale, traditional building materials, and design
Encouragement of active public open spaces
Encouragement of mixed-use development
Incorporation of quality landscaping within street right of way


Some selected images that ranked near the bottom of the survey's ranking include the three photos below, to help also illustrate citizen's development preferences.


Residential development with reduced design emphasis on attached garages Sign standards to reduce slutter and encourage more aesthetically pleasing signs
High quality design preferred