Ben Noble is a city planning consultant with over a decade of experience preparing zoning codes, general plans, and other planning documents for communities throughout California.  Over his career Ben has worked in a diversity of settings, including urban centers, small towns, and rural counties.  To each project Ben brings creative problem-solving instincts, strong project management skills, and a collaborative work style.

Ben specializes in zoning code updates and has prepared development regulations for dozens of communities in California.  Some codes, such as the Butte County Zoning Code Update, focused on natural resource protection and agricultural preservation.  Others, such as the San Bernardino TOD Overlay zone, emphasized creating vibrant mixed-use centers.  All codes are carefully tailored to each client’s needs, incorporating best practices from form-based, performance-based, and Euclidian traditions.

Ben is particularly passionate about “smart regulation” that maximizes public benefits while minimizing private costs.  Smart regulation has four primary dimensions: effectiveness, efficiency, fairness, and legitimacy.  This approach is based on empirical evidence of what works as well as theoretical foundations from the economic, legal, and political disciplines.

Prior to starting his own independent consulting practice in 2014, Ben was an Associate Principal at PlaceWorks (formerly Design, Community & Environment), where he oversaw the company’s zoning practice.  Ben holds a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Bachelor in Arts degree in History and Southeast Asian Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  Ben currently resides in Albany, California with his wife and two sons.

Click here for Ben’s complete resume.