Exclusionary Zoning Defined

When I first heard the term exclusionary zoning I didn’t know its exact meaning however just from the term itself I knew it had something to do with forming an exclusive group or section by means of zoning. After some research, the simplest definition I came across defined exclusionary zoning as the limitation of residential development over large areas, and even entire cities or towns, to single-family housing on large lots.[1]In practice I believe that exclusionary zoning encompasses a number of policies and restrictions passed along with the creation of the Federal Housing Administration, which may include but should not be limited to zoning ordinances, and redlining. When the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was created in 1930s, loans were specifically prohibited in integrated neighborhoods, and all during the New Deal, blacks were excluded from housing programs by means of zoning ordinances and redlining.[2] Zoning served as sort of a filtration system where land or space is divided for usage. Property is zoned into commercial, manufacturing, and residential uses, so a commercial building cannot be built in a residential or manufacturing neighborhood and vice versa, unless there is a change in zoning ordinances.[3] Below is a visual representation of what a zoning map for a section of South Bronx looks like. You can vividly see how in this specific section was zoned strictly for residential and manufacturing purposes.

Redlining was another tool used for containment in hopes of reaching and maintaining a homogenous neighborhood.  More specifically redlining is defined as the practice of arbitrarily denying or limiting financial services to specific neighborhoods, generally because its residents are people of color or are poor.[4] Below is a visual of what redlining looked like in the city of Philadelphia.

The sections colored in green are considered the best because the space is racially and ethnically homogeneous. The sections colored in yellow are considered to be declining due to infiltration of a lower grade population. The sections labeled in red are considered to be the worst neighborhoods with hazardous, low ownership rates, poor housing conditions and contain an undesirable population.

Throughout history these tactics have been implemented and can serve as the foundation to the segregated neighborhoods that exist now. Although I only discussed zoning ordinances and redlining its important to acknowledge that there were a plethora of policies implemented that contributed to the growing segregation of neighborhoods such as restrictive covenants, creation of neighborhood associations, and block busting.