Land-use planning largely concerns legislation and policy, adopting planning instruments like governmental statutes, regulations, rules, codes, and policies to influence land use.

On a broad level, these planning instruments deal with the type, location, and amount of land needed to carry out different functions of the city. They also serve to zone or reserve land for certain purposes such as:

• Residential, for buildings like apartment homes, single-family residences, and condominiums
• Commercial, for buildings like retail shops and office buildings
• Industrial, for structures like manufacturing plants and warehouses
• Municipal, for structures like police stations and courthouses