Is Zoning Replacing Planning?

A new piece of legislation going before voters in New York would limit the amount of development in many low-density neighborhoods, and encourage planning over upzoning to encourage development.

1 minute read

October 19, 2005, 5:00 AM PDT

By Brenda Meyer


"The real problem with downzoning to stop overdevelopment, or upzoning to encourage development, is that they both avoid any serious planning, both in each neighborhood and in the city as a whole. They don’t allow local residents and businesses to address serious concerns they have with everything from housing needs to traffic, because zoning regulations are limited to use and density controls.

...But it remains to be seen how many of the same neighborhoods in New York City complaining about overdevelopment are willing to support planning."

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 in The Gotham Gazette

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