Land Use Regulation's Legacy of Racial Segregation

Daniel C. Vock, J. Brian Charles, and Mike Maciag report on the legacy of racial segregation achieved by zoning regulations in Illinois, the result of a six-month investigation of mid-sized cities in the state for evidence of racial segregation.

"In each of these cities, as in the rest of the country, segregation means not just a physical divide between black and whites, but a huge disparity in resources," according to the article.

According to the premise of the article, the most powerful method local governments have used in achieving these results is land use regulation—"zoning restrictions, housing subsidies, tax incentives, public housing policy and restrictive covenants."

The article digs into the history of segregation in the mid-sized cities of Illinois as exemplifiers of these causes and effects, and a deeper exploration of the legal mechanisms of segregation.