Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Zoning

Visualizing America’s Absurd Parking Requirements

By Angie Schmitt | May 22, 2013 | 19 Comments

Architect Seth Goodman is on a mission to illustrate the absurdity of parking requirements. The above image, showing mandatory parking requirements for office buildings in different American cities, is one of three infographics he created to show the extent to which American cities mandate the construction of parking. The worst offenders in the office category […]

Making Your City More Walkable? That’s Not “Zoning”

By Angie Schmitt | Feb 20, 2013 | 9 Comments

In last week’s Washington Post, Roger K. Lewis, an architect and professor at the University of Maryland, wrote an intriguing column suggesting that it’s time for a big rethink of the concept of zoning, which he says is a relic of the early 20th century: Zoning conventions are no longer conventional. Land-use regulation is still needed, but […]

Raleigh’s Smart Plan to Grow Inward

By Angie Schmitt | Oct 18, 2012 | 6 Comments

Growing Sun Belt cities aren’t generally known for their sustainable urban form. But Raleigh, North Carolina is putting the finishing touches on a plan that could break the mold. Raleigh has been working to overhaul its zoning codes with a plan that hits all the right notes: prioritizing transit-oriented, infill, and mixed-use development. But one […]

Brookings: Suburban-Style Zoning Linked to Educational Inequality

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 27, 2012 | 12 Comments

What do laws that mandate large yards and prevent walkable development have to do with educational opportunity? Turns out, there’s an important connection. The Brookings Institution recently examined educational inequality across the U.S. by race and income. One of the key findings was that large-lot zoning requirements effectively restrict access to quality education for low-income […]