How zoning laws can limit the diversity of residents
by Julia Hammond
In the US: In the 1920s, amid increasing industrialization, a renewed government interest in homeownership, parks, and open streets led to the birth of modern planning and zoning regulations in the United States. Town governments could create separate business and residential districts, encouraging the construction of quiet residential neighborhoods with single-family homes, grassy lawns, parks, and good schools. Most of the time, low-income families were excluded from these neighborhoods, where housing was prohibitively expensive. Their only option was to stay in overcrowded urban areas, often in unhealthy tenement living conditions.
Many families of color at the time were low-income, but in addition to being unable to afford a single-family home, there were often laws on the books that prohibited them from moving out of cities based on the color of their skin alone. While laws that deny housing on the basis of race are now considered unconstitutional, local zoning laws still contribute to segregation of racial and ethnic minorities by limiting the opportunity to build housing at accessible prices.
In Connecticut: Zoning laws favoring single-family homes with large yards dictated the growth of Connecticut’s landscape over the last century. While many towns have amended their laws to allow for multi-family homes and apartments, the state’s housing stock is still heavily skewed towards single-family residences. A 2006 report found that Connecticut zoning practices, particularly in smaller towns and wealthier suburbs, can have discriminatory effects when it comes to fair housing choice. Zoning laws that discourage population density drive up housing prices near high-performing schools, locking out low-income families and helping to create a two-tiered public education system. Today, Connecticut’s public schools have some of the widest test score gaps in the nation.
In Newtown: Newtown’s zoning regulations date back to at least 1958. The regulations dictated minimum lot sizes (one-half to three acres) for residential and farming properties for the purposes of keeping population density low and conserving the value of buildings, among others. At that time, Newtown was a very rural town with a small population. The postwar “exodus to the suburbs” and skyrocketing property values in lower Fairfield county drove workers to discover towns a little to the north, trading a short commute for a more affordable family home. The rental market was tight, as condos and apartments were generally prohibited by the town’s zoning laws. Rather, the town was heavily oriented towards middle- and upper-class families, with more than 4,000 acres of parks, quickly expanding elementary schools, and plenty of clubs, service groups, and social organizations. This meant that often, Black and brown families from the surrounding area couldn't afford to settle down in Newtown.
Many families of color at the time were low-income, but in addition to being unable to afford a single-family home, there were often laws on the books that prohibited them from moving out of cities based on the color of their skin alone. While laws that deny housing on the basis of race are now considered unconstitutional, local zoning laws still contribute to segregation of racial and ethnic minorities by limiting the opportunity to build housing at accessible prices.
In Connecticut: Zoning laws favoring single-family homes with large yards dictated the growth of Connecticut’s landscape over the last century. While many towns have amended their laws to allow for multi-family homes and apartments, the state’s housing stock is still heavily skewed towards single-family residences. A 2006 report found that Connecticut zoning practices, particularly in smaller towns and wealthier suburbs, can have discriminatory effects when it comes to fair housing choice. Zoning laws that discourage population density drive up housing prices near high-performing schools, locking out low-income families and helping to create a two-tiered public education system. Today, Connecticut’s public schools have some of the widest test score gaps in the nation.
In Newtown: Newtown’s zoning regulations date back to at least 1958. The regulations dictated minimum lot sizes (one-half to three acres) for residential and farming properties for the purposes of keeping population density low and conserving the value of buildings, among others. At that time, Newtown was a very rural town with a small population. The postwar “exodus to the suburbs” and skyrocketing property values in lower Fairfield county drove workers to discover towns a little to the north, trading a short commute for a more affordable family home. The rental market was tight, as condos and apartments were generally prohibited by the town’s zoning laws. Rather, the town was heavily oriented towards middle- and upper-class families, with more than 4,000 acres of parks, quickly expanding elementary schools, and plenty of clubs, service groups, and social organizations. This meant that often, Black and brown families from the surrounding area couldn't afford to settle down in Newtown.
Sources Used:
Campbell, Susan, The Power and Pain of Zoning Regulations in Connecticut, Connecticut Public Radio, December 14, 2015, https://www.wnpr.org/post/power-and-pain-zoning-regulations-connecticut
Charles, Eleanor, If You're Thinking of Living in/Newtown; Big Town With a Small-Town Ambiance, New York Times, 1994 - https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/02/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-of-living-in-newtown-big-town-with-a-small-town-ambiance.html
Rothwell, Jonathan, Housing Costs, Zoning, and School Access, April 16, 2012, The Brookings Institute, www.brookings.edu/interactives/interactive-housing-costs-zoning-and-school-access/
State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, State of Connecticut Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice Update, 1999, http://hdl.handle.net/11134/30002:719389832
Campbell, Susan, The Power and Pain of Zoning Regulations in Connecticut, Connecticut Public Radio, December 14, 2015, https://www.wnpr.org/post/power-and-pain-zoning-regulations-connecticut
Charles, Eleanor, If You're Thinking of Living in/Newtown; Big Town With a Small-Town Ambiance, New York Times, 1994 - https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/02/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-of-living-in-newtown-big-town-with-a-small-town-ambiance.html
Rothwell, Jonathan, Housing Costs, Zoning, and School Access, April 16, 2012, The Brookings Institute, www.brookings.edu/interactives/interactive-housing-costs-zoning-and-school-access/
State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, State of Connecticut Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice Update, 1999, http://hdl.handle.net/11134/30002:719389832