Prohibiting single-family zoning alone won’t accomplish the needed transformation of the built environment in the United States.
![Single-family house with two-car garage under construction](/files/styles/featured_small/public/images/shutterstock_1939832473.jpg.webp?itok=FCUCtUNI)
A “spotlight on zoning practice” published this week by the American Planning Association (APA) goes into detail on some of the considerations in zoning codes other than land use that can contribute to housing equity. The “spotlight” provides insight into a longer piece written by John Zeanah for the May 2022 issue of Zoning Practice.
“Proposals to eliminate zoning districts that permit only single-family homes have dominated zoning reform discussions for the past five years. But focusing narrowly on getting rid of, so called, single-family-only zoning is unlikely to dramatically increase the supply of housing in most communities,” begins the post.
So what other zoning considerations can support missing middle housing and housing equity, according to Zeanah? The article lists two: 1) rightsizing bulk standards and 2) revisiting building codes.
On the first recommendation, Zeanah cites a 1991 report, “Not in My Backyard,” prepared by the Advisory Commission on Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing and presented to then Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp.
“Zeanah suggests planners should evaluate opportunities to relax bulk standards that make it difficult to fit multiple residences on a lot as well as those that require larger lots than the market would otherwise provide. These include standards that stipulate a minimum lot size or lot area per dwelling unit and those that establish a maximum building height.”
FULL STORY: Going Beyond "Use" Zoning to Promote Housing Equity
![An aerial view of Milwaukee’s Third Ward.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Milwaukee-Third-Ward.jpeg.webp?itok=ThTZMA1Z 1200w,
/files/styles/large/public/images/Milwaukee-Third-Ward.jpeg.webp?itok=72bEtsBS 992w)
Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny
The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
![Portland Bus Lane](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/5962729519_94a2a7705f_c.jpg.webp?itok=V_0hNFSw 1200w,
/files/styles/large/public/images/5962729519_94a2a7705f_c.jpg.webp?itok=V-FP7hHN 992w)
‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland
Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.
![Conceptual rendering of Rikers Island redevelopment as renewable energy facility](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%2011-49-44%20ARTICLE%20Green%20Future%20for%20Rikers.png.webp?itok=d6m2GusQ 1200w,
/files/styles/large/public/images/Screenshot%202023-08-23%20at%2011-49-44%20ARTICLE%20Green%20Future%20for%20Rikers.png.webp?itok=Iwd36Q0M 992w)
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
![A rendering of the Utah City master planned, mixed-use development.](
/files/styles/large/public/images/Vineyard-Utah-Civic-Center-FINAL-COLOR_1920x1080.webp?itok=S4Vyoz5O 992w,
/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Vineyard-Utah-Civic-Center-FINAL-COLOR_1920x1080.webp?itok=tXe1YuWQ 400w
)
700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah
A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.
![A line of cars wait at the drive-thru window of a starbucks.](
/files/styles/large/public/images/Starbucks-Drive-Thru.jpeg.webp?itok=OSz83Rrf 992w,
/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Starbucks-Drive-Thru.jpeg.webp?itok=NOZDpcFu 400w
)
More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus
Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.
![Air pollution is visible in the air around high-rise buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh.](
/files/styles/large/public/images/Dhaka-Bangladesh.jpeg.webp?itok=UchxQNTP 992w,
/files/styles/small_400/public/images/Dhaka-Bangladesh.jpeg.webp?itok=1w9el1n7 400w
)
Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says
Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.