The focus of neighborhood planning was to recognize the importance of each neighborhood and develop a plan to strengthen and protect neighborhoods, and to provide services and opportunities that promoted the stability and health of these areas.

These neighborhood plans were a result of a collaborative planning process conducted by residents, businesses, the Community Neighborhood Renaissance Partnership, neighborhood associations, and the broader Tallahassee community. They were developed by general consensus and, as such, represented the "agreed upon" future direction for the neighborhood.

Apalachee Ridge Estates – A southeast Tallahassee neighborhood bounded by Orange Avenue to the north, Millard Street to the south, Harwood Drive to the west, and Pontiac Drive to the east. The majority of the homes are one story single-family homes. Typically, three-bedroom house with a living room, eat-in kitchen, and a bathroom. Newer homes in the neighborhood include split-level homes, duplexes and/or town homes concentrated along the southern end of Pontiac Drive.

Capital Cascades – A highly varied area extending generally from East 6th Avenue and Magnolia Drive in the northeastern section of Tallahassee to a line due east from Crawfordville Hwy. at Hannon Mill Road on the south; and Munson Slough, Pottsdamer Street, Iamonia Street, and CSX Railroad on the west.

Lake Bradford – A neighborhood generally bounded by the CSX Railroad right-of-way to the north, Capital Circle Southwest to the west and south and the eastern boundary of Innovation Park to the east. Within the boundary are varied areas from the airport and supporting industrial development, to older residential neighborhoods, cultural and recreational resources and the Lake Bradford Chain of Lakes.

Oak Ridge – An area generally bounded by Capital Circle on the south and southwest; on the north by Tram Road, Gaile Avenue, and a line due east from Crawfordville Hwy. at Hannon Mill Road; Tram Court and Evans Street on the east and Munson on the west. Includes a diverse mixture of single-family and multi-family residential, mobile home, and industrial park subdivisions.

Providence – A southwest Tallahassee neighborhood located off Lake Bradford Road and bounded by the CSX Railroad lines on the north, Hutchinson Avenue and FSU's Alumni Village on the south, Iamonia Street on the west and Lake Bradford Road on the east. The neighborhood lies within an earshot from Florida State University, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, FAMU/FSU School of Engineering, FSU's Alumni Village and Innovation Park.

South Monroe – An neighborhood bounded by the Seaboard Railroad right-of-way to the north, Adams Street to the west, Gaile Avenue to the south and Meridian/Jim Lee road to the east. Varies from fairly affluent to some of the most economically challenged and bounded by the Downtown/Capital Center, Florida A&M University, Myers Park and the North Florida Fairgrounds.

West Pensacola – A highly urbanized area, comprised of a mixture of university properties, university-related retail and services, student rental housing, large apartment units, stable older neighborhoods, and several government owned properties. Tallahassee Community College and Florida State University bookend the sector.

State of the Southern Strategy Report

In 1998, policies for the Southern Strategy Area were adopted into the Comprehensive Plan. This strategy was established to encourage a growth pattern in the southern part of the City of Tallahassee as well as adjacent portions of unincorporated Leon County as a counterbalance to the rapid growth pattern in the northern and eastern areas of the community. The Southern Strategy Area covers about 17½ square miles, or nearly 11% of the area inside the Urban Service Area boundary. The Comprehensive Plan requires the Planning Department to prepare the State of the Southern Strategy Report every three years.