Dear Zoning, You Suck

We often associate historical discussions with the past which leads us to believe there are no impacts on the present. Sam and Natalie explain exactly why not everything historical is left in the past. The co-hosts dive into the history of zoning ordinances, exclusionary zoning, redlining, and unpack how these practices continue to impact folks today. Listen to get the full story!

Urban Planning is Not Boring announces our BOOK CLUB! We are SO excited to launch our book club, and the first book that we will be reading is “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America” by Richard Rothstein. We invite you all to join us in reading this book; we will be reading Chapters 1 through 4 and discussing this first section in our episode that we will release August 22. If you have any comments, questions, observations, etc. from the book, we encourage you to DM us on Instagram @urbanplanningisnotboring or email us at [email protected] by August 19! We would love to chat about any listener comments/questions.

To listen to the NPR Code Switch video: Housing Segregation and Redlining in America: A Short History

To rent free ebooks and audiobooks with your library card, download the Libby App! 

Other Sources:

A Brief History of American Zoning

Understanding Exclusionary Zoning and Its Impact on Concentrated Poverty

For more information:

Down-Zoning and Exclusionary Zoning in California Law

America’s racist housing rules really can be fixed

Effective Zoning Reform Isn’t as Simple as It Seems