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How Anchorage Effectively Eliminated Single-Family-Only Zoning
Elected officials (including a planner) and a housing advocate share in their own words what it took to adopt zoning reform and turn a “no” vote into “yes.”by: Jon DePaolis October 31, 2024Elected officials (including a planner) and a housing advocate share in their own words what it took to adopt zoning reform and turn a “no” vote into “yes.” -
Environmental Justice and Zoning Reform
PAS Report 608by: Christine Quattro, AICP September 01, 2024Zoning that places residential uses next to high-intensity land uses has environmental justice implications for the health, safety, and welfare of individuals, families, and communities.Nonmembers$25.00APA members & PAS subscribers$0.00 -
How the National Zoning Atlas Visualizes and Demystifies the Power of Zoning
Sara Bronin’s sweeping vision gives planners a tool to push for reform.by: Sophia Burns May 02, 2024Sara Bronin’s sweeping vision gives planners a tool to push for reform. -
Yes, You Can Convert Vacant Retail to Housing
Rethinking ground-floor regulations to include residential uses is a controversial but doable solution to housing underproduction and a glut of empty storefronts.by: Larisa Ortiz April 30, 2024Rethinking ground-floor regulations to include residential uses is a controversial but doable solution to housing underproduction and a glut of empty storefronts. -
Harvesting Benefits from Incentive Zoning
Zoning Practice — May 2025by: Jacqueline Berg, AICP May 01, 2025This issue of Zoning Practice explores how incentive-based zoning has evolved over the decades to become an increasingly effective tool in helping communities reach their planning goals and community vision. It begins with an overview of the origins and evolution of incentive-based zoning in the U.S. before presenting a modern, three-pronged approach. -
Reclaiming the Missing Middle Ground: How Planners Got NIMBYs to Yes
During a contentious zoning debate, planners in Arlington, Virginia, used data and meaningful engagement to help the community expand housing choices.by: Patrick Sisson December 14, 2023During a contentious zoning debate, planners in Arlington, Virginia, used data and meaningful engagement to help the community expand housing choices. -
Opening the Door to Unconventional Homes
Zoning Practice — March 2025by: Charlie Nichols, AICP, Benjamin Schmidt March 01, 2025This issue of Zoning Practice explores the rise of unconventional housing types, such as barndominiums, 3D-printed homes, and shipping-container homes, and examines common regulatory barriers and potential regulatory reforms planners and local officials may be able to use to foster housing innovation and advance sustainable, resilient, and inclusive housing solutions. -
How the Bipartisan 'Montana Miracle' Confronts the Housing Crisis Head On
Governor Greg Gianforte explains how the state passed sweeping zoning reforms that boost supply and expand housing choice.by: Joe Tedino October 30, 2023Governor Greg Gianforte explains how the state passed sweeping zoning reforms that boost supply and expand housing choice. -
Eliminating Map-to-Text Discrepancies
Zoning Practice — October 2024by: Jonah Pellecchia, Melissa Hayashida October 01, 2024What happens when a zoning map doesn't match the zoning text? This issue of Zoning Practice explores the prevalence, political and legal implications, and types of map-to-text discrepancies. It concludes with recommended actions local planners and public officials can take to eliminate this problem. -
3 Zoning Reform Success Stories that Reignited Downtown Development
In small and midsize cities, cutting parking minimums and adding by-right development rules catalyze economic development.by: Patrick Sisson March 09, 2023In small and midsize cities, cutting parking minimums and adding by-right development rules catalyze economic development. -
Protecting Zoning Reform Gains
Zoning Practice — August 2024by: Brian Connolly August 01, 2024This issue of Zoning Practice reviews recent legal challenges to state and local zoning reform legislation and offers strategies for planners and their allies who must defend against them. It profiles four specific reform efforts that faced legal challenges, and then offers tips and strategies to help planners implement and defend similar zoning reforms.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00 -
What Is Zoning Reform and Why Do We Need It?
The case for change, why planners support it, and six zoning reform tactics that could help curb housing costs.by: Patrick Sisson January 18, 2023The case for change, why planners support it, and six zoning reform tactics that could help curb housing costs. -
Zoning Reform Creates New Model for Smart Growth in Walla Walla, Washington
How the rural city eliminated single-family-only zoning, legalized ADUs, and relaxed parking minimums to promote housing diversity.by: Patrick Sisson September 21, 2022The rural city eliminated single-family-only zoning, legalized ADUs, and relaxed parking minimums to promote housing diversity. Here's how planners helped get it done. -
Boise Increases Affordable Housing Stock through Zoning Reform
As remote workers exacerbate an existing housing shortage, the city makes room for ADUs, manufactured homes, and sweeping zoning changes.by: Erika Bolstad August 29, 2022As remote workers exacerbate an existing housing shortage, the city makes room for ADUs, manufactured homes, and sweeping zoning changes. -
Equitable Zoning for Manufactured Housing
Zoning Practice — April 2024by: George Frantz, AICP April 01, 2024This issue of Zoning Practice examines the persistent inequitable treatment of manufactured housing in many local zoning codes and offers considerations for code updates. It begins with brief summaries of the important role manufactured housing plays in supporting housing choice and affordability and includes findings from a five-state analysis of zoning regulations for manufactured housing.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00 -
Planners Can Lead the Zoning Reform Movement
How to push for ADUs, TOD, and pro-housing policy at every level of government, from expert and APA president-elect Angela D. Brooks, FAICP.by: Angela Brooks, FAICP June 29, 2022How to push for ADUs, TOD, and pro-housing policy at every level of government, from expert and APA president-elect Angela D. Brooks, FAICP. -
Decoding Zoning: How Machine-Readable Zoning Data Bridges Housing Gap
Open Zoning is democratizing zoning codes, allowing anyone to access them as simple visuals for any property or city in seconds, crowdsourcing new ways forward for the bottom-up response to the housing crisis.- Nneka Sobers
- Elizabeth Christoforetti
- Alyssa Brandt, AICP
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The OTHER MN Code Everyone Is Talking About
This session will feature Rochester’s Unified Development Code and will provide strategies around how to reform local zoning to successfully encourage housing affordability/availability along with a real example of how to gain public support to advance planning best practices.- Ryan Yetzer
- Jenny Baker
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Pattern Zones and Pre-Reviewed Homes
Zoning Practice — January 2024by: Richard Murphy, AICP, Melissa Milton-Pung January 01, 2024This issue of Zoning Practice explores how a pattern approach to zoning, incorporating pre-reviewed building plans, may help communities expand housing choice and affordability. It begins with a brief examination of historical precedents before outlining the key components of a pattern zoning program and highlighting potentially complementary strategies.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
5 Practical Zoning Hacks for Missing Middle Housing
These thoughtful tweaks can help promote housing diversity and density in communities of all sizes.by: Kati WoockThese thoughtful tweaks can help promote housing diversity and density in communities of all sizes.
Protecting Historically Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Neighborhoods and Business Districts
Zoning Practice — August 2023by: Darcie White, AICP August 01, 2023Establishing protective measures for historically disadvantaged and vulnerable neighborhoods and business districts requires a proactive, community-based approach. This issue of Zoning Practice outlines clear steps those who write, administer, and enforce zoning regulations can take to proactively protect these neighborhoods and business districts.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
Columbus 'Zones In' on More Housing Amid Population Boom
by: Jon DePaolisThe effects of the nationwide housing supply crisis were pushing Columbus, Ohio, to the brink.
New Ordinance Aims to Boost Sacramento’s Housing Supply
by: Jon DePaolisWhen Nguyen Nguyen, an associate planner in Sacramento, California, began meeting with residents about housing concerns in 2021, he started hearing similar stories.
In Defense of Local Zoning
Zoning Practice — May 2023by: Harvey Jacobs May 01, 2023This issue of Zoning Practice joins the current debate about zoning’s future by arguing in defense of local zoning. It puts the current proposals into a broader historical context of proposed zoning reform over the decades, wondering whether current reformers (like past ones) may be expecting too much from proposed changes.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
3 Zoning Changes That Make Residential Neighborhoods More Affordable
Zoning reform is one of our greatest weapons against rising housing costs. Here's how we can wield it.by: Robert LibertyAfter 100-plus years of prioritizing single-family zoning, cities and states are welcoming diverse housing types back to the neighborhood.
The Connection Between Unpermitted ADUs in San José and the Need for Zoning Reform
by: Grant Holub-MoormanUncovering JAPA: Discover how policymakers are using computer vision to identify unpermitted ADUs in San José — shedding light on informal housing and the barriers to legal construction.
Practice Gentle Density
Zoning Practice — February 2023by: Jacqueline Berg, AICP, John Houseal, FAICP February 01, 2023This issue of Zoning Practice explores zoning strategies that balance the concerns of residents and the demands of the housing market by accommodating gentle density increases in a context-sensitive manner. From historic downtown neighborhoods to modern residential subdivisions, the tools presented can be used by planners throughout the country to implement housing policy through regulation.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
8 Steps to an Effective Code Transition
Zoning Practice — January 2023by: Derrick Rhys Wilson January 01, 2023This issue of Zoning Practice summarizes when and why it may be necessary for a city, town, or county to replace an existing development code. It provides an overview of the code-transition process, offering a brief instructional guide on how to organize and complete each step.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
Accelerating Zoning Reform: A Conversation
Boosting the supply, availability, and diversity of housing options is essential to expanding opportunity and affordability for all. Creating livable and age-friendly communities requires reforms that allow for new housing options. APA, AARP, and the National League of Cities have made housing opportunity and zoning reform a key priority.- Victoria Woodards
- Angela Brooks, FAICP
- Rodney Harrell
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Building the National Zoning Atlas
If zoning is a language, then every zoning ordinance is its own dialect. By mapping standardized zoning data across thousands of jurisdictions, the National Zoning Atlas provides legibility to those seeking to understand zoning trends that transcend jurisdictional boundaries.- Sara Bronin
- John Infranca
- Max Latona
- Yoshi Bird
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Making Way for Missing Middle: Tulsa's Neighborhood Overlay
Tulsa adopted its Neighborhood Infill Overlay in December 2021, after years of planning and community engagement in downtown-adjacent neighborhoods. The overlay removes barriers for new missing middle housing and brings historic missing middle building types into compliance with zoning.- Nathan Foster
- Travis Hulse, AICP
- Beatriz Baeza-Denis
- Daniel Jeffries, AICP
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Rogers, Arkansas, Planners Take On Regulatory Reform
by: Brenna DoneganAPA Public Affairs Program Manager Brenna Donegan spoke to planning advocate John McCurdy about how his city of Rogers, Arkansas is addressing housing challenges, and why other small to mid-size communities in Northwest Arkansas need federal investment and support to make smart zoning reforms happen.
Activating Ground Floors in Mixed-Use Buildings After COVID
Zoning Practice — August 2022by: Thomas SmithThis issue of Zoning Practice looks at the actions of several communities trying to promote successful mixed-use development, including communities that have adopted stricter criteria for where ground-floor retail is appropriate and communities that have reduced the number of locations where ground-floor retail is mandated.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
How State Judiciaries Battled Exclusionary Zoning
These century-old arguments can support policy change and zoning reform today.by: Francine Romero July 25, 2022These century-old arguments can support policy change and zoning reform today.
Beyond Use Zoning: The Role of Deregulation in Housing Equity
Zoning Practice — May 2022by: John Zeanah, AICP May 01, 2022This issue of Zoning Practice explores how accessory use standards, dimensional standards, and building codes affect opportunities to build missing middle housing. And it highlights how Memphis and other cities are looking beyond use zoning to advance goals of housing equity in reforming codes and policies.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
Building on Success: Housing Reform in Grand Rapids
by: Brenna DoneganSince the 2002 master plan, Grand Rapids has seen more than $7 billion of construction invested in the city. Efforts like eliminating single family zoning and studies of individual neighborhood needs have now positioned Grand Rapids for bolder housing reforms with lower risk of gentrification or displacement of neighborhoods.
Ending Zoning’s Racist Legacy
Zoning Practice — January 2022by: Jennifer Raitt January 01, 2022This issue of Zoning Practice summarizes how exclusionary zoning practices reinforce patterns of segregation originally established by illegal racial zoning, racially restrictive covenants, and federal policies in the first half of the 20th century. And it highlights steps Boston and Louisville, Kentucky, have taken to begin to rectify these inequities through zoning reforms.List price$0.00ZP subscriber$0.00
Zoning Minimalism
Zoning Practice — December 2021by: Norman Wright, AICP December 01, 2021This issue of Zoning Practice makes a case for why a minimalist approach to zoning may be necessary to achieve our core aims. It proposes five simple rules that could constitute the basis of an effective zoning code and demonstrates how these rules might work in practice.
Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook
May 06, 2024The Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook is for local elected officials and community planners working to boost diverse, attainable, and equitable housing supply in communities nationwide.
Dynamic Zoning
Zoning Practice — October 2021by: Patrick Braga October 01, 2021This issue of Zoning Practice explains the need for and fundamental characteristics of dynamic land-use and development regulations. It surveys historical and contemporary precedents and summarizes three approaches communities can use to implement dynamic zoning.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
Smarter Zoning by Street and by Block
Zoning Practice — August 2021by: John Myers August 01, 2021This issue of Zoning Practice proposes a new, ultralocal, approach to upzoning that would use resident-initiated upzonings to increase housing supply and diversity on a street-by-street or block-by-block basis.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00Suddenly, Zoning Reforms Are Popping Up Everywhere
Sightline, January 20, 2021by: Michael AndersenThis blog post documents recent local zoning and state enabling law reforms targeted at expanding housing choice and affordability.Nine Reasons to End Exclusionary Zoning
Sightline, September 29, 2021by: Dan BertoletThis blog post presents nine arguments for ending exclusively single-family zoning.Enabling Better Places: A Zoning Guide for Vermont Neighborhoods
August 2020This guide hopes to improve the amount of available homes in Vermont by updating local zoning and land use regulations to allow for a larger range of housing types.Olathe, KS, Municipal Code
Updated August 2020These regulations belong to the Housing Supply Planning, Solar Energy, Transit-Oriented Development, and Zoning Reform and Code Writing collections.Troy, MI, Zoning Ordinance
Updated March 2023These regulations belong to the Green Building, Solar Energy, Wind Energy, and Zoning Reform and Code Writing collections.Providence, RI, Zoning Ordinance
Updated April 2020These regulations belong to the Housing Supply Planning, Solar Energy, and Zoning Reform and Code Writing collections.Hillsboro, OR, Municipal Code
2018The city's unified development code belongs to the Food Trucks, Rethinking Off-Street Parking Requirements, Transit-Oriented Development, and Zoning Reform and Code Writing collections.Oregon Model Development Code and User’s Guide for Small Cities
Edition 3.1, November 2015This model unified development code provides a template to help small cities in Oregon draft land-use and development regulations.Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Urban and Suburban Zoning Codes
EPA 231-k-09-003, November 2009by: Kevin NelsonThis guide discusses a series of zoning reform opportunities to support smart growth.
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