MapLab: The Zoning Data Revolution is Here
Part of a zoning code map of St. Louis County, Missouri, one of many parts of the country that will eventually be covered by the National Zoning Atlas.
Credit: National Zoning Atlas
Restrictive zoning codes limit the housing supply and contribute to segregation, but the nuances of how and where this happens can be hard to nail down. Now, new datasets and maps are shining a light on the opaque laws that dictate the way we live.
The Zoning Restrictiveness Index, launched in March by the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, and the National Zoning Atlas, an initiative that went live last year from the Cornell University Legal Constructs Lab, are seeking to make zoning data more comprehensive, standardized and accessible to the public. Their creators hope that a greater understanding of what can be built, and where, will empower reformers concerned about how zoning policies drive inequality and create barriers to housing.