Evaluation of the land use policy related to Planned Unit Developments [PUDs] in San Antonio, Texas

In the United States, Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) began as a land-use concept during the 1950s. PUDs were intended to provide a comprehensive development, mixed land uses, cluster urban development patterns, and large open spaces. The purpose of this study was to assess the land use in San Antonio's PUDs compared to the original concept. The extended purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of the PUD ordinance in terms of producing the land-use patterns that are not permitted in the base zones.

The method adopted for the assessment involved selecting sample PUD applications and applying the selected criteria for assessment. Two sets of criteria were selected to assess the land use: the first set was to measure the alignment with the original concept; the second set was to assess the diversity factors in land use. The spatial survey was conducted with the evidence of recorded and approved PUD plans, Google maps showing present land use, and the City of San Antonio's zoning maps.

It was found that San Antonio's PUDs were neither aligned to the original idea of PUD nor efficient to create divergent land-use patterns. A set of solutions was proposed to appropriate the PUD ordinance. However, considering the land use history, the current land-use matrix in the Unified Development Code, and the unique traditional needs of San Antonio, it was ultimately recommended that San Antonio's PUD ordinance should be eliminated.