Sustainability, resilience, and climate change are top of mind for planners and floodplain managers. For subdivision design, those ideas haven't hit home. The results? Catastrophic flood damage in communities across the country. This PAS Report is out to end the cycle of build-damage-rebuild and bring subdivision design into line with the best of floodplain planning. Readers will get the tools they need to save lives, protect property, and lay the foundation for a better future.

Economic, political, and market pressures make some development on floodplains inevitable. But appropriate subdivision designs can minimize risks of flood damage--or eliminate them entirely. This report explores the full range of planning techniques to minimize possible problems in a flood-hazard area. Cluster development, coast-to-road lots, and elevated buildings are all suggested as techniques that will minimize flood damage. Detailed diagrams illustrate the natural functions of a floodplain and describe the tools used to preserve these functions and protect properties from flooding. Photographs show planners both good and bad planning techniques. Includes appendices with selected ordinances and policies.

Prepared by the Interagency Task Force on Floodplain Management. Includes National Flood Insurance Program.