[Salt Lake City is working with Clarion Associates on this project. See an article by Clarion's Chris Duerksen, Saving the world through zoning. This is an EXCERPT: read the whole article here. -Ed.]

By Derek Jensen

Salt Lake City has long walked its environmental talk. But to be a truly green city, Mayor Ralph Becker's team is using its black pen to cut the red tape.

Marking the first major overhaul since the mid-90s, capital planners are rewriting the city's code book to help ensure sustainability for generations to come.

That includes everything from helping owners of historical homes replace single-pane windows or add solar panels to allowing public gardens where residents can sell backyard produce from their front stoop. In the name of urban forestry, the city may even start planting trees in homeowners' front yards.

"It's an entire rewrite of the city code to see where we are shooting ourselves in the foot and where we can be more progressive," says Jennifer Bruno, a policy analyst for the City Council.

Photo credit: Stephen Coles