An investigative feature by Governing magazine blames the history of land use regulations like zoning and redlining for the racial segregation of contemporary communities all over the state of Illinois and the country.
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.
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A new database measures the restrictiveness of exclusionary zoning practices around the country. Exclusionary zoning, it turns out, is much more prevalent than commonly acknowledged.
Zoning Has Support for Sprawl: Subdivision, Covenants, and Mortgages
Zoning codes are not the only kind of land use control that has built the U.S. residential market on the suburban model for more than a century, according to a recent article in The Urbanist.
Gainesville Eliminates Single-Family Zoning
Gainesville is the first city in Florida to eliminate exclusionary zoning.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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