ERIC Number: ED614532
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Apr-18
Pages: 58
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Tearing down the Walls: How the Biden Administration and Congress Can Reduce Exclusionary Zoning. Education
Kahlenberg, Richard D.
Century Foundation
Economically discriminatory zoning policies--which say that people are not welcome in a community unless they can afford a single-family home, sometimes on a large plot of land--run counter to American ideals and yet are pervasive in America. In most U.S. cities, zoning laws prohibit the construction of duplexes, triplexes, quads, and larger multifamily units on at least three quarters of available land. These policies--coupled with private practices such as racial steering by real estate agents--carry an ugly underlying message: some people are better than others because of how much money they make or the color of their skin. The first part of this report explains the ways in which the U.S. Constitution provides federal authority to reduce harmful local zoning ordinances and reviews the evidence on three key reasons why the federal government should exercise its authority: (1) to reduce economic and racial segregation and discrimination; (2) to improve housing affordability and health; and (3) to fight climate change. The second part briefly reviews the experiences in several cities and states seeking exclusionary zoning reform, with a focus on Minneapolis, Oregon, California, and Virginia. The third part outlines eight leading federal reform ideas, which include efforts to provide incentives for state and local reform through new funding carrots, attaching conditions to the receipt of existing federal funding, and employing a private right of action against government discrimination in federal court. The fourth and final part of the report concludes with recommendations on the best paths forward for the Biden administration and Congress.
Descriptors: Zoning, Family Income, Housing, Laws, Public Policy, Social Differences, Race, Constitutional Law, Racial Segregation, Federal Government, Public Health, Climate, Social Change, Incentives, Federal Aid, Social Discrimination, Racial Discrimination, Barriers, Political Attitudes, Municipalities, Social Integration
Century Foundation. 41 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021. Tel: 212-535-4441; Fax: 212-879-9197; e-mail: info@tcf.org; Web site: http://www.tcf.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: The Century Foundation
Identifiers - Location: Minnesota; Oregon; California; Virginia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A