Title: How to Understand Municipal Zoning Codes - Bloomberg
Headings: CityLab University: Zoning Codes
CityLab University: Zoning Codes
Don’t know your R1 from your FAR? We’re here to explain how zoning laws work, how these ordinances shape your city and neighborhood, and why we fight over them.
KEY POINTS
HISTORY
GLOSSARY
A
Accessory use/accessory dwelling unit
Air rights (see Floor area ratio)
C
Classifications (R1, etc.)
Examples of zoning classifications, City of Los Angeles
E
Euclid v. Ambler
Exclusionary zoning
F
Floating zones
Floor area ratio (FAR)
Form-based code
I
Incentive zoning
Inclusionary zoning (see Incentive zoning)
L
Lot coverage
M
Minimum lot size (see Lot coverage)
Mixed-use zoning (see History)
N
Nonconforming use
O
Overlay zone
P
Parking minimums
Performance zoning (see Floor area ratio)
Planned unit development (PUD)
S
Setback
Spot zoning
U
Upzoning
V
Variance

Content: If you have constructive feedback or would like to see a similar explainer on other topics, drop us a line at editors@citylab.com. Although invisible on land and inscrutable on paper, municipal zoning codes have a tremendous impact on the form of cities—and by extension, on the way people live in them. Today, these arcane regulations are seeing unprecedented levels of public scrutiny. After decades of embracing strict zoning rules, several cities and states want to relax them to make it easier to build housing and create more environmentally friendly communities. This edition of CityLab University offers an overview of zoning and defines the key terms related to it in America, so you can better understand the rules that are shaping your city and neighborhood. KEY POINTS
Although there were earlier versions of municipal zoning codes, the first comprehensive one was adopted by New York City in 1916. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Euclid v. Ambler (1926) established the constitutionality of local zoning ordinances and helped set the pattern for what is known as “Euclidean” zoning. Critics of zoning see it as a key driver of sprawl and racial and economic segregation. Beset by a housing affordability crisis, U.S. cities and states are increasingly looking to undo regulations such as R1 zones, parking minimums, and red tape around accessory dwelling units in order to increase the supply of housing. HISTORY
Municipal zoning in America evolved from a complex set of processes in the first half of the 20th century.