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America's Zoning Problem

Sprawl
Mark Strozier
/
Flickr
Sprawl

City planner Nolan Gray is the first to admit it: Getting people excited about city zoning is tough. And yet, this seemingly dull topic shapes our lives by shaping the cities we live in.

Gray argues that zoning has failed to address the most basic concerns about urban growth, exacerbating housing shortages, worsening racial and economic segregation and making us even more car-dependent. In a new book, Gray explains what zoning is, where it comes from and says that if we want to improve our cities, we need to re-evaluate zoning policy and possibly even scrap it altogether. Gray's book is called “Arbitrary Lines and he joins us to talk about why zoning is actually pretty interesting, especially if you care about where you live.

Nolan Gray's book is "Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke The American City and How to Fix It." [Amazon|Bookshop|Indiebound]
@mnolangray

Additional guest: Jason Stevenson, Co-chair of the East Liberty Park Community Organization @stevensonjason

Airdate: Friday, July 15, 2022 at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

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