Category: zoning

Exclusionary zoning is a way of preventing those who come from different economic incomes from living with each other.  When I think of exclusionary zoning, my first vision is the children’s book The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater.  Although this neighborhood does not have the wealth restrictions that exclusionary zoning has, it has the same root idea as exclusionary zoning: neighborhoods should all have the same type of housing—be it architecturally pleasing mansions with expansive, just groomed lots, or haphazardly constructed apartments—they should remain separate.  The neighborhood in the book has houses that have looked alike since the neighborhood began. This changes when a bird spilled orange paint on Mr. Plumbean’s house, spurring Mr. Plumbean into painting his house to resemble his dreams. This led to disagreement around the neighborhood over the altered state of his home.

 

The Big Orange Splot takes a stand against conforming, because, at the end, Mr. Plumbean convinces his neighbors to follow his footsteps and paint their houses how they like them, instead of confining to the same as everyone else. ¹

With exclusionary zoning, there are more problems than Pinkwater’s children’s book includes—it isn’t just about being different.  Neighborhoods with exclusionary zoning can include laws that require not only single-family homes, but those that are a certain square footage and lot size.  This creates limited access for lower-class families that cannot afford to live in a luxury sized home.  On the surface, this just prevents a mixture of different types of housing in neighborhoods, but when looking further into how this method of zoning pans out, there are many consequences.  This results in limiting a variety of things, including the prevention of lower-class individual’s ability to attend the schools in these areas and class mobility.  These two problems go hand in hand, as a good education in a school with a variety of resources can greatly increase a person’s chance of rising out of poverty. A child who attends school in an area where 80 percent or more of the attendees are living in poverty scores 13 to 15 percent lower than those who attend a school where 80 of the kids come from middle or upper class backgrounds. ²  Not only does education play a role in class mobility, but also when poor communities are shut off from other areas of the city (often, surburbs) because of exclusionary zoning, this creates concentrated ghettos, areas where there are little mixed-class interactions.

Pinkwater shows in a very simplified way that people are afraid of something different.  When people live in a neighborhood where the houses all look somewhat alike, it is easy.  But that does not help society progress into what it could be since it silences the voice of a large chunk of the population by pushing them into the only place they can afford—places that have continually mediocre schools to teach their kids.

 

Works Cited:

Pinkwater, Daniel Manus. The Big Orange Splot. New York: Hastings House, 1977. Print.

“Exclusionary Zoning.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 Aug. 2012. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclusionary_zoning>.

“Inclusionary Zoning.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inclusionary_zoning>.

 

 

“Geography of Opportunity”

On a nationwide level, there is a huge discrepancy in the level of “opportunities” that are available from neighborhood to neighborhood. In reality, depending on the neighborhood, city, region, or state, you live in, your quality of life, success in the future, and ability to thrive in modern day society puts you at either an advantage or disadvantage. According to the report, “People, Place, and Opportunity” done by the Kirwin Institute, in order to achieve success in today’s world, you need an “access to opportunity”. This entails, however is not limited to, “…obtaining a quality education, living in safe and affordable housing, being connected to employment networks, living in a community that has access to fresh, healthy foods, and a variety of features similar to these” (Kirwin 1). These places that provide “access to opportunity” however have a disturbing and undeniable trend nationwide. The research done in Connecticut indicate that the cities that offer the “lowest opportunity access” are predominantly inhabited by those of minority groups—particularly African Americans and Latinos. Subsequently, it is evident that those of the Caucasian ethnicity are put at an immediate advantage in life and are more likely to achieve socio-economic success than those marginalized from society.

Various measures have been done to provide housing to those who are not as economically fortunate. Numerous neighborhoods around the country contain subsidized family housing units for those that fall below the poverty line. In Connecticut, nearly “60% of all subsidized family housing units are located in areas with low access to opportunity,” which in effect makes it difficult to achieve any sense of status or self-worth in society. Unfortunately, this trend does not solely pertain to Connecticut. In reality, this is a trend that is prominent throughout the nation.

Why is this you might ask? Why is it that these subsidized family housing units are essentially only built in these neighborhoods of low opportunity? These units are not constructed to benefit these residents and assist them with achieving a better of quality life. In reality, it seems as though they are constructed to ensure that the residents remain marginalized from society and remain segregated from the Caucasian population. Although there have been various reformations in the housing policies of America

(such as the Fair Housing Act), the numerous policies that have been enacted in our history have “shaped the landscape of opportunity” and this landscape still exists today (Kirwin Institute, 14). Some of these policies were just blatant examples of discrimination; however there are unjust ones that remain today that are legal, simply because they are phrased in a way that mask their underlying intentions.

One of these policies is called “exclusionary zoning.” Exclusionary zoning is basically a formal policy that does not appear overly

discriminatory to the untrained eye; however, it is solely in effect to preserve and essentially promote segregation. Exclusionary zoning entails (but is not limited to) putting “restrictions or bans on multi-family development, minimum lot sizes, age-restricted

zoning, and low-density zoning [which] limit[s] the opportunities for low-income families or people of color to

move to the suburbs, for both renters and owners” (Kirwin, 20). A study conducted by the Housing Center of Great Boston showed that “80% of the census tracts with restrictive zoning were either very-high or high-opportunity tracts, compared to 43% in remaining tracts” (Kirwin, 20). This statistic just shows how there is clearly an interest on behalf of the government to keep the rich, rich and the poor, poor…and in addition to that: keep them entirely separated. To keep these neighborhoods of high opportunity away from minority groups and individuals that could essentially jeopardize the neighborhood’s “esteemed status”, the exclusionary zoning policy makes the neighborhood unattainable to these individuals. Making the prices of the homes in these wealthy suburbs very expensive is just one way to preserve the neighborhood’s racial composition. Additionally, the homes are constructed on large land lots, are rather lavish, and are predominantly single-family homes. Consequently, this policy makes it incredibly difficult for subsidized housing units to be built in affluent neighborhoods and thus ensures that the minor

ity groups and those that are not as financially stable remain marginalized from society in these areas of “low opportunity”.

 

Sources:

“People, Place, and Opportunity: Mapping Communities of Opportunity in Connecticut” A Report Commissioned by Connecticut Fair Housing Center.

 

Pictures:

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=exclusionary+zoning&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=X&rls=en&biw=1265&bih=639&tbm=isch&tbnid=2Q__CvPE7Po4OM:&imgrefurl=http://www.celdf.org/non-rights-based-fracking-ordinances-ny&docid=i3pylrl31huXgM&imgurl=http://www.celdf.org/img/original/NY%252520map%252520for%252520non%252520rights%252520based%252520efforts%252520101411.jpg&w=4400&h=3400&ei=oIRWUIn9L6qX0QGrxYGoCQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=3&sig=101779882543164830784&page=1&tbnh=128&tbnw=166&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0,i:103&tx=85&ty=65

 

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=exclusionary+zoning+neighborhood&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&biw=1054&bih=532&tbm=isch&tbnid=3orp-Pr9TzWDuM:&imgrefurl=http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2012/04/05/exclusionary_zoning_in_action.html&docid=Yo7Skhd_SAHuYM&imgurl=http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/moneybox/2012/04/05/exclusionary_zoning_in_action/1333649698299.jpg.CROP.article568-large.jpg&w=568&h=426&ei=OoVWUKuqKKXs0gHfyYG4Cg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=643&sig=101779882543164830784&page=1&tbnh=152&tbnw=203&start=0&ndsp=9&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:75&tx=149&ty=56

 

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=exclusionary+zoning&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=X&rls=en&biw=1054&bih=532&tbm=isch&tbnid=KCOgsvZtb2gQlM:&imgrefurl=http://affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/2010/11/warts-and-all-keep-chapter-40b-2.html&docid=o5Tb9ZY0PP3TqM&imgurl=http://affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/wp-content/uploads/Chapa_signpost_11.jpg&w=372&h=480&ei=5oRWUN6TL4fs0gG4xoHYBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=638&vpy=5&dur=117&hovh=306&hovw=237&tx=87&ty=94&sig=101779882543164830784&page=1&tbnh=162&tbnw=117&start=0&ndsp=9&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0,i:94

Zoning is a strategy used by towns in order to organize residential and corporate land areas. In order to ensure that the town does not become over-developed or cramped, developers utilize zoning strategies in order to organize their land and separate homes from businesses. These strategies also plan out park space, school space, and other neighborhood areas. Furthermore, there are zoning restrictions in residential areas that limit the physical size of homes, how many people can live there, and how much yard space is allowed, among numerous other factors.

Unfortunately, zoning is a tactic used by towns in order to exclude lower class citizens from purchasing a home within their district. In this way, these strategies fall under the term, “exclusionary zoning”. Various zoning restrictions, such as minimum lot sizes and low-density rules limit the opportunities for low-income families to purchase homes in certain areas. Low-income families may not be able to afford a home on their own, but since there are low-density limits on most houses in the suburbs, they are not allowed to live with another family. Furthermore, houses can be zoned for particular uses, usually expensive uses, in order to exclude those who cannot afford it. “These types of land use policies increase the costs of development, and therefore the price of housing in suburbs” (Reece et al, p. 20).

In the suburbs, public services are predominantly funded by property taxes. This means that these homes are even more expensive and therefore it is highly unlikely that low-income families can afford to live there. There is documented evidence showing that African American and Hispanic households are more often than not segregated into low-opportunity neighborhoods due to zoning and other land use policies. This means that white families are concentrated in the high-opportunity suburbs. Therefore, exclusionary zoning leads to racial segregation.

Sources:

Jason Reece, et al., People, Place, and Opportunity: Mapping Communities of Opportunity in Connecticut: A Report Commissioned By the Connecticut Fair Housing Center (Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, The Ohio State University, 2009)

According to Whitten, a West Hartford City planning and zoning consultant in 1924, zoning is “the direction of building development along orderly and well-considered lines of city growth.” At this time, the Zoning Commission of West Hartford claimed that without regulation chaos would occur and zoning prevents waste.

“Exclusionary zoning” includes any practices that may prevent certain populations from being able to live in a specific area. Historically, this has pertained to racial mistreatment and fear of heterogeneity in social spaces like neighborhoods and schools. It is still prevalent today in terms of socioeconomic status and income inequality. This links directly with access to schools and opportunities for socioeconomic advancing.

While zoning is a necessary part of city planning, “exclusionary zoning” occurs and begins to widen gaps of socioeconomic classes by limiting opportunities. Segregation by race and income has been reported as a result of population density regulations through zoning. Researchers at The Brookings Institution analyzed statistics of Housing Costs, Zoning, and School Access to address this vary issue. The statistics are pressing. Near high-scoring public schools, housing costs average 2.4 times the prices around low-scoring public schools. Buying a more expensive house has become directly correlated to buying access to schools. Looking directly at test score gap (measuring the difference in percentile ranking between low and middle to high income), the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford Area came in second to all national metro areas. Hartford ranked 4^th in terms of economic segregation that uses the percentage of students that would need to relocate for equal distribution of students in each school. [2] The map included  is from the Brooking Institution; it has an interactive feature to explore test score gaps based on income or race, income inequality, economic segregation, housing cost gap and school ranking. The map seen here highlights economic segregation in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford area, illustrated by the size of the circle. Beneath the map, charts illustrate racial composition, income composition, and school ranking by race and income, respectively. School rankings for middle/high-income are over twice as high as low-income areas. This is a very real depiction of income affecting opportunity for equal education.