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: African American neighborhoods often got zoned for the uses white Americans didn’t want near them, causing property values in black neighborhoods to erode and further entrenching segregation. When private cars became the dominant mode of transportation and fewer people walked to work or on errands, areas zoned for a single use got bigger, according to Sonia Hirt in Zoned in the USA. Lower-density zoning and parking minimums have had a huge impact on the look, functioning, and carbon footprint of American cities. Many scholars view Euclidean zoning as a key factor in America’s urban sprawl and racial and economic segregation. However, Houston—the largest American city without a municipal zoning ordinance—is also sprawling and segregated, making it at least a partial counterpoint to these arguments. ( Despite its lack of zoning, Houston does have non-zoning regulations that accomplish some of the same things.) Separation of uses remains a fundamental principle of most zoning codes, even as form-based and incentive zoning gain in popularity (neither of which is mutually exclusive with Euclidean zoning). The true opposite of Euclidean zoning is mixed-use zoning, which allows for the apartment buildings with ground-floor shops beloved by Jane Jacobs. The movement known as Smart Growth promotes mixed-use, high-density development near mass transit, and has inspired new zoning guidelines in Massachusetts, California, and elsewhere. GLOSSARY
The following is a glossary of terms that are key to understanding this wonky-but-important arena of law and policy. (