Critical Factors Addressed by the SCCP…………………………………………………………………………………………...……page

Why is the SCCP important?

The SCCP creates a collaborative understanding of what a model scenic city should prioritize. This establishes a set of standards made available for Texas municipalities to adapt and use while preserving scenic standards in their city. Through collective visioning, Scenic Texas and the 17 program partners worked together to design the structure of ten Visual Tenets that reflect a Scenic City. Collective visioning is an essential element of a sustainable future for Texas. The SCCP has helped cities throughout Texas create plans that align with the collective vision. The Scenic Cities also play a critical role in the constant improvements and revisions to the principles the SCCP adopts. Co-learning between the program and the Certified Scenic Cities has allowed the SCCP to be truly equitable and consistently advancing.

Program Benefits:

• Provides expert third-party evaluation of existing standards. • Forms a basis for continual review and analysis of development plans. • Serves as a platform to educate citizens on the impact of local regulations. • Supports economic development efforts.2

Scenic Cities demonstrate a strong commitment to maintaining strong visual standards in their city. Visual standards create a platform for cities to address additional supporting standards. The SCCP uses important concepts to define Scenic Cities including strong scenic standards (1), environmental conservation (2), economic growth and management (3), and sense of place (4). These four critical factors that are the focus of the SCCP are displayed below in Figure 1. Strong scenic standards act as a foundation and a point of access to implement changes that support a sustainable future for Texas cities as our state continues to develop.

2 https://sceniccitycertification.org/certified-cities

The Scenic City Certification Program Best Practices Resource Guide

This resource guide provides real Texas city examples of strong ordinances and programs and the impacts they have on human and natural systems. The case studies included in this guide are intended to help new and recertifying cities visualize the outcomes that specific ordinances and program language can create. This resource can also be used to help gain support of said language at the municipal level. In many case studies, complicated ideas are unpacked and translated into visuals and narratives that are easy to share and discuss with stakeholders across professions. At Scenic Texas, we understand the collaborative and dynamic network of people it requires to manage a city. Sometimes transparent and efficient conversations require taking a step back to establish a set of shared values and goals for a city as a foundation to the various initiatives from different stakeholders. This resource guide is our effort to define the foundational values and goals set by some of our most distinguished Scenic Cities so they can be adapted and used in cities across Texas.

Southlake, Texas