Work with land use

Land use in ArcGIS Urban consists of land-use types and land-use boundaries. A land-use type describes a certain combination of land-use restrictions such as allowed building height, parcel coverage, or space uses. Land-use types don't have a geometry. You can assign land-use types to land-use boundaries to define the spatial extent of land-use restrictions.

You can edit existing land-use types and boundaries copied from the urban model as well as propose new types and boundaries while editing a land-use plan. Proposed land-use types are only available in the plan; they are not available across the entire city.

Add a land-use type

You can add land-use types to a plan by creating new types or copying existing types.

Create a land-use type

You can create a land-use type in land-use mode or in the plan configuration. Use the land-use mode option to add types one by one. Use the import options in the plan configuration to import multiple types from a hosted feature table, a spreadsheet, or a feature layer symbology.

Land-use mode

To create a land-use type in land-use mode , complete the following steps:

1. Open the plan editor.
2. Click the Land-use button at the upper right of the header.
3. Ensure that the side panel on the right is expanded.

   To show or hide the panel, click the Expand button at the upper right of the view.

4. Click Land use types in the upper right corner of the side panel.

   The side panel lists the land-use types for the plan.

5. Click the Add button in the upper right corner of the side panel.

   The New land use type dialog box appears.

6. Modify the styling of the new land-use type on the Appearance tab:
   • Provide a label for the land-use type.
   • Optionally, provide a name, a custom ID, and a description for the land-use type. You can style the description with markdown syntax elements. See Description styling to learn more.
   • Optionally, change the Color, Fill, and Outline default values for the land-use type.
7. Modify the land-use regulations on the Parameters tab.
8. Click OK to save the new land-use type.

   The new land-use type is saved and added to the land-use types list with a proposal flag next to its name.

Add land-use types to the plan configuration

To add land-use types to the plan configuration, complete the following steps:

1. Open the plan editor.
2. Expand the drop-down menu named after the plan and select Configure plan.

   The plan configuration opens to the general plan settings tab by default.

3. Click Land use and click Land use types.
4. Click Add and choose from the following options:
   • Single item—Add a single land-use type.
   • From spreadsheet—Import multiple types from a spreadsheet.
   • From feature table—Import multiple types from a hosted feature table.
   • From feature layer symbology—Import multiple types from the symbology of a hosted feature layer.

   See Manage zoning types to learn more about these options.

5. Click Return to plan in the header when you have finished adding types.

Create a land-use type based on an existing type

You can create a land-use type based on an existing type in land-use mode or in the plan configuration. To create a land-use type based on an existing one from the list of types in land-use mode, complete the following steps:

Note:

See the Create a land-use type section above to learn how to access the list of types.

1. Click the Configure button of the existing land-use type you want to duplicate.

   The Land use type dialog box appears, listing the parameters of the selected land-use type.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the dialog box.
3. Click the Create duplicate button in the lower left corner.
4. Define the appearance and the parameters of the duplicate land-use type according to your requirements.

   Note:

   See the Create a land-use type section above to learn more about changing the land-use type appearance and parameters.

5. Click OK.

   The duplicate land-use type is added to the list of land-use types.

Reorder land-use types

Reorder land-use types to change their position in the legend. To change the order of land-use types, complete the following steps:

1. Open the plan editor.
2. Expand the drop-down menu named after the plan and select Configure plan.
3. Click Land use and select Land use types.

   The list of land-use types appears.

4. Drag the land-use types to reorder them.

Modify a land-use type

You can modify an existing land-use type in land-use mode or in the plan configuration. To modify a land-use type from the list of types in land-use mode, complete the following steps:

Note:

See the Create a land-use type section above to learn how to get to the list of types.

1. Click the Configure button next to the land-use type you want to modify.
2. Modify the appearance and the parameters.
3. Click OK.

   The changes are applied to the land-use type. If this land-use type is applied to a land-use boundary in the plan, the changes are also applied to the map. The changes affect all scenarios in the current plan.

Note:

When modifying an existing land-use type, the changes are only applied to the current plan.

Add a land-use boundary

You can add a land-use boundary by drawing a polygon or by painting over parcels.

Note:

Land-use boundaries cannot overlap. If a newly added boundary overlaps an existing boundary, the existing one will be replaced with the new one for the area where they overlap.

Add a land-use boundary by drawing a polygon

To add a land-use boundary by drawing a polygon, complete the following steps:

1. Open the plan editor.
2. Click the Land use button at the upper right of the header.
3. Click the Add boundary button on the workflow toolbar at the right of the view.
4. Ensure that the Draw new boundary by clicking on the map button is selected.
5. Select a land-use type from the drop-down list.

   Click inside the drop-down field and start typing to search for a land-use type by label or description.

6. Enable the Merge button to merge overlapping and adjacent boundaries of the same land-use type:
   • Enabled—The new boundary will be merged with overlapping and adjacent boundaries of the same type.
   • Disabled—The new boundary will not be merged with other boundaries. Overlapping parts will be replaced by the new boundary.

   This setting is persisted while you edit the current plan.

7. Click the map to draw the new land-use boundary. Double-click when you are finished.
8. Click OK.

Note:

This tool supports snapping. To disable snapping temporarily, press the Ctrl key while drawing.

Add a land-use boundary by painting over parcels

To add a land-use boundary by painting over parcels, complete the following steps:

1. Open the plan editor.
2. Click the Land use button at the upper right of the header.
3. Click the Add boundary button on the workflow toolbar at the right of the view.
4. Click the Draw new boundary by painting over parcels button .
5. Select a land-use type from the drop-down list.

   Click inside the drop-down field and start typing to search for a land-use type by label or description.

6. Enable the Merge button to merge overlapping and adjacent boundaries of the same land-use type:
   • Enabled—The new boundary will be merged with overlapping and adjacent boundaries of the same type.
   • Disabled—The new boundary will not be merged with other boundaries. Overlapping parts will be replaced by the new boundary.

   This setting is persisted while you edit the current plan.

7. Paint over the parcels to which you want to apply the selected land-use type.

   To paint over multiple separated parcels, press Shift while painting.

8. Click OK.

Modify a land-use boundary type

To modify the land-use type of a land-use boundary, complete the following steps:

1. Open the plan editor.
2. Click the Land use button at the upper right of the header.
3. On the map, click the land-use boundary you want to edit.

   A pop-up with details of the selected land-use boundary appears.

4. Click Modify in the pop-up.

   The Modify land use dialog box appears.

5. Select a land-use type from the drop-down list.

   Click inside the drop-down field and start typing to search for a land-use type by label or description.

6. Check the check box at the bottom of the Modify land use dialog box to merge the selected boundary with adjacent boundaries of the same land-use type.

   This setting is persisted while you edit the current plan.

7. Click OK.

Split a land-use boundary

To split a land-use boundary, complete the following steps:

1. Open the plan editor.
2. Click the Land use button at the upper right of the header.
3. On the map, click the land-use boundary you want to split.

   A pop-up with details of the selected land-use boundary appears.

4. Click Modify in the pop-up.

   The Modify land use dialog box appears.

5. Click the Split button .

   The Modify land use dialog box closes.

6. Click the map to draw a split polyline. Double-click to finish it.
7. Click OK.

   The selected land-use boundary is split along the polyline.

Note:

This tool supports snapping. To disable snapping temporarily, press the Ctrl key while drawing.

Delete a land-use boundary

To delete a land-use boundary, complete the following steps:

1. Open the plan editor.
2. Click the Land use button at the upper right of the header.
3. On the map, click the land-use boundary you want to delete.

   A pop-up with details of the selected land-use boundary appears.

4. Click Modify in the pop-up.

   The Modify land use dialog box appears.

5. Click the Delete button to delete the land-use boundary.

Copy a land-use boundary to a scenario

To copy a land-use boundary to another scenario, complete the following steps:

1. Open the plan editor.
2. Click the Land-use button at the upper right of the header.
3. On the map, click the land-use boundary you want to copy to another scenario.

   A pop-up with details of the selected land-use boundary appears.

4. Click the Copy to scenario button in the pop-up.

   The Copy to scenario dialog box appears.

5. Select the target scenario from the drop-down list.
6. Choose the method to handle overlaps in the target scenario:
   • Preserve—All land-use boundaries in the target scenario are preserved. The copied land-use boundary will be clipped if necessary.
   • Replace—The copied land-use boundary is preserved. The land-use boundaries in the target scenario are clipped if necessary.
7. Click OK to copy the land-use boundary.

   The land-use boundary is copied. The target scenario opens.

Note:

• You cannot copy to the existing scenario.
• If the source or target land-use boundary needs to be clipped into multiple parts, a multipart feature is created. Use the split tool to split multipart boundaries after copying. See the Split a land-use boundary section above to learn more.