12/21/2023 0 Comments Does zoning keep suburbs unwalkable![]() Presumably, only some of those 10 percent would define the “American Dream” more narrowly as “owning a home in a suburb where one has to drive to get to work or shopping.” Thus, this survey suggests that very few Americans in fact consider sprawl to be the “American Dream. Exclusionary zoning is an oft-mentioned policy that keeps affordable housing out of neighborhoods through. Since the 1990s, trends reducing the proportion of poor families living in neighborhoods with concentrated poverty have reversed, and experts blame public policy as the source. Communities across the US are beginning to reexamine the role of zoning and change the rules. When done thoughtfully, zoning can connect people and places, not just divide us. Since New York City adopted the first zoning ordinance in 1916. Research shows that this concentrated poverty is on the rise. Zoning can encourage inclusion, create opportunity, protect open spaces, and prevent truly incompatible land uses from sharing the same space. Zoning regulations and restrictions are used by municipalities to control and direct the development of property within their borders. The most common form of land-use regulation is zoning. One survey showed that 44 percent of respondents defined the term as “giving your kids a better life”, 22 percent defined the term as “a successful business/career”, and 13 percent more defined the term as “doing better than your parents.” CBS News, 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll: The American Dream, Only 10 percent stated that the term meant “owning a home.” Id. The book does a brilliant job of showing the force of government-backed segregationism in creating white suburbs, but ignores the parallel forces of government-backed automotive and oil-industry policies in creating car-dominated, low-density, unwalkable places that fostered unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles, paved watersheds and natural habitat. Land use and zoning laws involve the regulation of the use and development of real estate. Like all sidewalks, these shortcuts need to be ADA compliant and should be clear of snow and ice in the winter. In fact, most Americans define the “American Dream” as material success generally, not suburban home ownership in particular. With the majority of our suburban area having windy street grids, the status quo will discourage people from walking to places due to the distance and time required despite the distance being short, as the crow flies. Sierra Club, Sprawl: The Dark Side of the American Dream, I note in passing that the equation of sprawl with the “American Dream” is not an accurate description of public opinion.
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