Planning Census-designated Places.

 Planning Unincorporated City-like Places like Cities. 

Many counties in the United States have areas of urban or suburban development with housing and shops that are not within an incorporated municipality. The U.S. Bureau of the Census calls these unincorporated urban/suburban areas “census – designated places [C-DPs]”. The task is to plan these areas as though they were cities even though they are not. They do not generally have an organizing body such as a city government, any revenue sources or any specific standing within the county budgeting process. 

There are exceptions. Some C-DPs have been addressed as special districts with one or all of the municipal functions such as C-DP specific land use controls, taxing systems or budgets all within the host city’s purview. Whenever and wherever C-DPs become unique, substantial places, such an approach is warranted. The creation of a special status has two benefits.