A city (or county) is not an accident but the result of coherent visions and aims

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Figure 8: Land Use Map for Sonoma County
Statutory Requirements 
This section offers a general guide to the contents of the land use element. Note that while the focus is on the minimum 
requirements for an adequate land use element, an effective general plan will also focus on the issues of greatest relevance to the 
community. 
Diagram
Requirement Description:
The land use element must designate the proposed general distribution, location, and extent of land uses, and shall include a 
diagram or diagrams (
Gov. Code §§ 65302-65302(a)
). For examples of such diagrams, see figures 6-8.
Source: http://www.sonoma-county.org/prmd/gp2020/fig-lu1.pdf

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Figure 9: City of Los Angeles Circulation Map
Source: http://planning.lacity.org/mapgallery/Image/Citywide/GenCirculation.pdf

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Figure 10: City of Los Angeles Land Use Map
Source: planning.lacity.org

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Many types of development policies lend themselves well to graphic treatment, such as the distribution of land uses, urban 
design, infrastructure, and geologic and other natural hazards. A diagram must be consistent with the general plan text and 
should have the same long-term planning perspective as the rest of the general plan. The text and diagrams in the land use 
element that address the location and extent of land uses, and the zoning ordinances that implement these provisions, may also 
express community intentions regarding urban form and design. Such diagrams and text may differentiate neighborhoods, 
districts, and corridors; provide for a mixture of land uses and housing types; and provide specific measures for regulating 
relationships between buildings as well as between buildings and outdoor public areas (
Gov. Code § 65302.4
). Jurisdictions may 
adopt traditional land use typologies, such as mixed use or residential, that are based on urban form and design—for example, 
Sacramento has created categories for 
“transit centers” and “new growth areas”
—or they may use a combination of typologies. 
Caltrans’ Smart Mobility Framework
 suggests seven place type categories with sub-categories to fit local context and relates 
community design to 
circulation
 and access through efficiency factors. Some communities have adopted similar place types, 
modified for local context. 
The Attorney General has observed that “...when the Legislature has used the term ‘map,’ it has required preciseness, exact 
location, and detailed boundaries but no such precision is required of a general plan diagram.” As a general rule, a diagram 
or diagrams, along with the general plan’s text, should be detailed enough so that all users of the plan can reach the same 
conclusion on the appropriate use of any parcel of land at any particular phase in the physical development of a city or a county. 
Decision makers should also be able to use a general plan and its diagram(s) to make day-to-day land use and infrastructure 
decisions that are consistent with the future physical development scheme of a city or a county. Given the long-term nature of 
a general plan, however, its diagram(s) and text should be general enough to allow a degree of flexibility in decision-making 
as times change. For example, a general plan may recognize the need for and desirability of a community park in a proposed 
residential area without immediately designating its precise location. Accordingly, the plan should have a generalized diagram 
along with policies stating that selection of the park site and appropriate zoning will take place when subdivision of the area is 
approved. 
Many communities use a map as the general plan diagram. The land use element should focus on the future growth and 
physical development of the community in accordance with the land use map while ensuring the provision of adequate 
infrastructure and services to existing communities. Maps are useful for designating land use categories, as well as building 
densities, FAR, and other development goals. The maps in figures 6-8 demonstrate some of these varying uses. Observing 
proposed land uses side by side on a map will help decision makers and the public understand the relationships between 
them. It may also be helpful to include other elements, such as 
circulation
 and infrastructure, in the land use map when 
possible. Including known assets such as roads, transit routes, job centers, and service centers can help inform decisions about 
future land uses and needs. For example, the 
City of San Diego
 created numerous maps in which community features such as 
wastewater facilities and bikeways are overlaid onto more traditional depictions of land use and the street system, while the 
City of Emeryville
 used mapping to designate density and intensity in each land use category. The 
GPG Mapping Tool
 can help 
communities layer data to identify areas of need and opportunity as well as potential locations for specific types of land use. 
Categories used in the land use element should align with the goals of the general plan. For example, a jurisdiction wanting to 
promote 
infill development 
and compact growth may consider setting minimum density standards along with traditional maximums.

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