Zoning codes dictate how and where we can build housing, factories, restaurants and parks. They limit how tall buildings can be and where trees can be planted. Zoning determines the placement of schools, churches, single family homes and multifamily homes. Zoning maps decide where roads can be built ... and where they cannot.
How we make use of the land around us is determined by a very small group of people who are in charge of planning the city structure and infrastructure. And we seldom notice or care about zoning until it impacts our lives in such a way that we are compelled to care. That's when we realize we have so little knowledge about zoning maps, zoning language and zoning plans. And when we try to change the zoning laws, we discover how rooted in history zoning is ... and how resistant history is to change.
Joining the exchange to help us understand how much zoning impacts our daily lives is , author of "Keys to the City: How Zoning Shapes Our World." Sara is an architect, attorney and professor at Cornell University.
We'll also hear from , the Director of City Planning at the City of Central Point, Oregon.
