Far from an obscure, wonky local issue, zoning reform has the potential to advance social justice in American cities.

The recent focus on the effects of exclusionary zoning is a crucial part of reforming housing policy and addressing discrimination and racism in housing and land use in the United States, writes Richard D. Kahlenberg in the New York Times. "Although zoning may seem like a technical, bureaucratic and decidedly local question, in reality the issue relates directly to three grand themes that Joe Biden ran on in the 2020 campaign: racial justice, respect for working-class people and national unity." Eliminating "economically discriminatory zoning policies," argues Kahlenberg, is a crucial step toward advancing those campaign goals.
"Removing exclusionary barriers that keep millions of Black and Hispanic people out of safe neighborhoods with strong schools is central to the goal of advancing racial justice." Despite a Supreme Court decision that struck down racial zoning in 1917, new policies like single-family zoning and redlining soon took its place, effectively creating the same barriers for families of color. "Racial discrimination has created an enormous wealth gap between white and Black people, and single-family-only zoning perpetuates that inequality." In fact, "the most restrictive zoning is found in politically liberal cities, where racial views are more progressive," relying on mechanisms that separate households by income and class to keep neighborhoods segregated. "Class discrimination helps explain why, despite a 25 percent decline in Black-white residential segregation since 1970, income segregation has more than doubled."
Reforming zoning, writes Kahlenberg, is necessary for achieving racial and economic justice. "After decades of federal inaction on this issue, Congress must move boldly to embrace the country’s anti-racist and anti-elitist mood to remove state-sponsored barriers that divide the nation’s people."
FULL STORY: If You Care About Social Justice, You Have to Care About Zoning

Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.

Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.

New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.

Proposed Transit Line Would Connect Downtown Tucson to Airport
Based on community input for a 15-mile transit line, residents want to see a focus on affordable housing development and anti-displacement measures.

Strip Malls as a Housing Solution
The American strip mall may be a dying breed of commercial development, but could the buildings serve a new use as sustainable housing?

Study: Most of Vancouver Is a ‘15-Minute City’
A large majority of Vancouver residents can access a grocery store in 15 minutes or less by bicycle or on foot.
Urban Planning Partners
Sandy City
Ada County Highway District
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.