Zoning

Houston's Land Market Heats Up
The pandemic has spurred a sharp spike in land sales in the Houston area as more people look to buy homes and developers buy land for industrial uses.

Eliminating Single-Family Zoning Alone Won't Solve California's Housing Crisis
While zoning reforms can help reduce barriers to building more housing, high construction costs and local opposition mean that the state won't see an immediate boom in density.

Is Historic Preservation Zoning?
In a victory for preservationists, the Texas Supreme Court upheld Houston's Historic Preservation Ordinance despite a lawsuit alleging that the ordinance constitutes illegal zoning rules.

Watch: The Laws and Policies Driving Up the Cost of Housing
A Vox explainer video tackles the rising cost of housing in the United States.

California Assembly Advances Statewide Upzoning Bill
California's Senate Bill 9 would allow up to four housing units on lots traditionally zoned for single-family homes, paving the way for more 'gentle density.'

How to End the Commute Nightmare
The pandemic let many people experience a commute-free lifestyle, but can we reduce rush-hour traffic as we make our return to physical workplaces?

This Washington City Quietly Eliminated Single-Family Zoning
Walla Walla's 2018 zoning reforms included adaptive reuse, reduced parking requirements, and more relaxed rules for accessory dwelling units.

America's Residential Segregation is Getting Worse
New research shows growing segregation over the last two decades in the majority of large metropolitan areas.

Are We in a Housing Bubble?
As the pandemic shifts housing priorities and costs continue to soar, experts assess the potential for a crash similar to 2008's Great Recession.

How Zoning Discrimination Still Affects Canadian Cities
Policies that encouraged urban segregation and led to the displacement and disenfranchisement of communities of color continue to reverberate in Canada's urban centers.

Connecticut Approves Statewide Zoning Reforms—Bill Awaits Governor's Signature
Advocates and political supporters are calling HB 1607 an incremental, first step, after the process of building a winning political coalition cut back some of the original ambition of the statewide zoning reform effort.

What Is Multi-Family Housing?
Often discussed in contrast with single-family zoning, multi-family housing includes buildings and complexes that house more than one household in the same property.

Watch: Debunking Myths About Houston's Lack of Zoning
A video published last week by City Beautiful reveals the myths and misconceptions of Houston's land use regulation system.

Can Cities Be Saved From 'Supergentrification'?
For other cities struggling with sky-high real estate prices, Colorado’s resort town offers some instructive lessons on what’s working — and what isn’t.

Opinion: Zoning Reform Is a Social Justice Issue
Far from an obscure, wonky local issue, zoning reform has the potential to advance social justice in American cities.

Balancing Aesthetics and Affordability
Policies too narrowly focused on design can drive up the cost of construction and prevent the development of affordable housing.

Transformers Vs. Historical Preservation
A row over two Transformers statues in a D.C. neighborhood lays bare the "absurdities" inherent in historical preservation, one writer argues.

Does Zoning Create a Vicious Circle—Or Can It Fix Itself?
Ideally, planners could balance homeowners' interests in zoning against the public good, liberalizing zoning when prices got too high. But this may be politically impossible.

Connecticut Is Considering Statewide Zoning Reform. This Map May Be Why
Desegregate CT's Zoning Atlas is a first-in-the-nation map showing how all 2,620 zoning districts and two subdivision districts in Connecticut treat housing—a massive undertaking that required a team to read 32,378 pages of zoning regulations.

Opinion: California Should Pass Aggressive Housing Reform
While some lawmakers oppose recent efforts to reform housing policies, others argue the state's affordability crisis calls for bold action.
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