LBCS provides a consistent classification methodology for land uses. It is for

• classifying land uses (including any type of mixed or multiple use)
• analyzing land uses (for both existing and proposed uses)
• incorporating any land-use characteristic (not just economic or environmental types)
• extending the classification for new land uses (without breaking the classification scheme)
• adding new land-use characteristics (by adding new dimensions)
• providing a correspondence to other standards (SLUCM, SIC, NAICS, FEMA, FGDC, etc.)
• accounting for all land uses (unlike many that ignore roads and linear features)
• collecting land-use data (for any size geography, small sites to cities, counties, regions, etc.)
• measuring any land unit (not just parcels, but also census blocks, traffic zones, etc.)
• illustrating land uses (in both map and descriptive formats)
• combining land-use data from multiple sources (surveys, satellite, aerial photographs, etc.)
• integrating land-use data from multiple resolutions (not all data need be parcel-based)
• spreading the responsibility for maintaining land-use data (even if updates happen unevenly)
• cooperating with multiple jurisdictions for land-use analysis (by combining each other's data)
• sharing land-use data (between users, agencies, planning applications, etc.)
• surveying land uses (by old-fashioned forms, windshield, or any newer GPS/GIS tool)
• updating land-use data (so applications can track land-use changes)
• rendering land uses for visual representation (by using standard colors)
• documenting land-use data (through a metadata template for land uses)

LBCS Project does not provide

• land-use data (though we have some samples)
• pictures of all land uses (though we use them in illustrations)
• legal definitions for land uses (though descriptions are thorough)
• maps or GIS software (though we have GIS tools)
• density and intensity standards (though we show how to incorporate them)
• a mandatory standard (though some organizations have made LBCS mandatory)
• a classification standard for land-cover data (though some land-use terms are similar)
• a compendium of building types (though LBCS employs some types to identify land uses)
• a data standard for land-use databases (though LBCS provides some data-models)
• a mapping standard for land uses (though we use maps for illustrations)
• a graphic standard for land-use maps (mapping is independent of data classification)
• what land uses are compatible with which ones (that should come from implementation)
• what land uses go with which zoning districts (plans and regulations should drive that)
• color coding for zoning districts (there is no such standard)

LBCS is for planners and others working

• with land-use information,
• whether it is for public or private sector,
• either as consumers or producers of land-use data.

Where to start?

• With the Standards