As we anticipate a report from Brian's Government Spaces commission from the Guild, it's probably useful to re-cap how our land use and zoning rules work. Here's an outline.
This is about uses and changes to existing spaces. There's a separate post about expansion (new sims), here: http://forums.slcds.info/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2067
-- We start each sim with five things: a theme (like "CN is ancient Roman"), a sim name, a location (relative to the other sims), a rough map (which determines lot density, size and major public features), and land covenants (which govern the style of builds).
-- When it's time to change or elaborate those basic plans, the Guild, an NGO under our rules, has an official advisory role on most CDS land use and planning issues. Brian's government spaces commission and the replat map for Altstadt are recent examples. The Guild makes recommendations, which the CDS executive branch may then implement. So, for example, Alexicon approved the Altstadt re-do.
-- Our legislative branch can constrain that activity as they wish, within their own constitutional limits. For example, the RA modified some land use rules for 'commercial' land, in the Commerce Commission bill which I'm now starting to implement; and has passed legislation many times about specific features. (Demolish the Casino, fund and erect a fountain, move a street, etc.)
-- The RA can set, and so presumably can change, sim themes. The Chancellor can't. See Article II, Sec. 4 of our constitution. http://portal.slcds.info/index.php?id=29
-- Significant changes to "themed" or aesthetic elements of CDS, or land use rules, require "regular and active citizen participation and public review". See Article II, Sec. 3 of our constitution. So, for example, if we wanted to demolish the Kirche, the Amphitheatre or the walls of CN or NFS, or make major changes to them, that would require advance public consultation before acting. (Note that this step also would give the RA time to stop something.) But if we just wanted to *replace* the Biergarten with a very similar, less primmy build (as we did recently), or add a few gravestones to the Kirche graveyard, those might be below the "major change" threshold.
-- One more planning constraint worth noting is NGO land use. Some of our well-known structures are NGO land, not government-controlled. NGOs are a special class of CDS organization. (Their exact nature may not be well-defined, as noted in a separate post. But the basic idea is the same as "non-governmental organizations" in RL: a private, nonprofit organization for the public good with some special rights granted by the government. The International Red Cross/Red Crescent is one example.) The exact terms vary from NGO to NGO, but note for example that
-- MoCA in NFS is administered by the MoCA NGO.
-- The Neufreistadt School in NFS is administered and owned by the Guild NGO.
-- The Monastery in AM is administered and owned by the Monastery NGO.
Comments welcome. A shared understanding of these procedures will help us in our collaborative efforts to develop and improve CDS.
regards Jamie P