Comments on: Smart Growth for Custom-Minded Conservatives

By: jabacon@baconsrebellion.com

jabacon@baconsrebellion.com — Fri, 02 May 2014 00:43:34 +0000

Zoning that excludes people on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, etc. is no long legal and no longer practiced. But zoning that restricts development along income lines is very much alive. In most cases, it is motivated by the desire of existing homeowners who believe that higher density will undermine their property values. Go read some of Daniel K. Hertz’s posts on Chicago and New York, which are replicated on this blog.

By: Mike De Blasi

Mike De Blasi — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 20:46:10 +0000

James,
As I was writing my comment I thought how the exclusionary zoning was the cause of historical segregation but modern day segregation is more a result of people wanting to live with like minded people, economically segregate or racially segregate. So while I agree that any exclusionary zoning of the last type have been eliminated (I think), we haven’t done much to counteract the first two. As you, and many other urbanists have mentioned, when we prevent a type of housing we prevent a certain type of person living there. I’m on the planning commission in my town and I consistently hear from staff and Council members that we can’t allow a type of housing because of neighborhood uproar. (They also seem to go along with the homeowners’ belief that off-street parking for at least two vehicles is either in Hammurabi’s Code or the Constitution.) So re-integrating a neighborhood is a multi-pronged approach. But someone could argue that allowing different types of housing in the same neighborhood is enacting a program to pouch people together. I don’t, but I expect to hear that argument.

By: jabacon@baconsrebellion.com

jabacon@baconsrebellion.com — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 22:27:24 +0000

Mike, I’d like to see a society in which people are judged by the content of their character (or their behavior) not the color of their skin. Before we enact programs to push people together, why don’t we start by dismantling the government structures that keep them apart? Why not start by getting rid of exclusionary zoning?

By: Mike De Blasi

Mike De Blasi — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 23:36:57 +0000

I agree that some of the most segregated places in this country are politically liberal-and very wealthy. However, to say that diversity isn’t a worthy goal ignores the centuries of segregation that has occurred in this country. Primarily it was based on race but in some of the older urban areas the segregation was also based on ethnicity. And this was even in the golden age that you mention. I’m sure you’re thinking that this was a result of exclusionary zoning, whether bylaw or convention, but it still doesn’t erase the fact that for most of our history we kept people out of our communities or neighborhoods that we didn’t like based on baseless prejudice.