Identifying Cape Cod's Activity Centers

Overview

The Cape Cod Commission developed a StoryMap to describe the process of identifying Cape Cod's Activity Centers and Natural Areas.

As the regional land use planning and regulatory agency for Barnstable County, Massachusetts, the Commission is responsible for preparing and updating a Regional Policy Plan (RPP). The RPP articulates a growth policy for the region that focuses growth in centers of activity and areas supported by adequate infrastructure and away from areas that must be protected for ecological, historical, or other reasons.  

To support the growth policy, the geodesign process was used to identify existing centers of community and industrial activity across the region, as well as to map natural areas that should be protected. Taking into consideration characteristics like civic activity, business activity, and physical form resulted in a map that identifies both regional and local centers of activity. 

This application tells the story of how the Cape Cod Commission looks at land use in a comprehensive way.