HOW ZONING SHAPES COMMUNITIES

THE GOOD, BAD AND HOPEFUL ASPECTS 

OF THE CENTURY-OLD TOOL THAT DETERMINES

EVERYTHING ABOUT THE PLACES WE LIVE, WORK AND PLAY

The zoning code. 

Amended, revised, sometimes more than 100 pages.

The vast majority of people have never looked at one. 

But zoning codes impact where we live, how we get around, how tall our buildings become, who are our neighbors and how many parks we have.

On the good side, zoning is the reason you don’t live next to a slaughterhouse, steel plant or other noxious activity that produces noise and foul and dangerous smells to the air. 

On the bad side, it is why so much of America is segregated — by race and income — a result that widens the gap between haves and have nots.

And why people who feel they are always in their car, feel that way for good reason.