Urban Planning: The Euclidean Zoning Code and Equity in a City

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Urban Planning
“Euclidean” zoning code hinders the goals of equity, fairness, and individual wellbeing. Firstly, the approach has encouraged urban sprawl. Because of Euclidean zoning, most of the larger cities have metropolitan areas surrounding them. Because of the limitations in developable land within the city limits, most residential developers move to land outside the city (Watsky). The approach moves the residents away from the city’s amenities and damages the residents' quality of life. The suburban areas are often less prepared to deal with the increasing population. The government is forced to invest more to ensure that these areas can meet the increasing demand, which is challenging.
Additionally, Euclidean zoning promotes segregation. Exclusionary zoning, like density restrictions, separates the wealthy from the poor. While outwardly, it appears as economic segregation, the outcome is racial segregation. Moreover, the method leads to a limited housing supply. When fewer areas are zoned for residential development, then fewer homes are available. Because of the limited supply of housing units, the seller’s market phenomenon emerges. The result is more expensive houses for individuals who want to own homes (Pendall, Puentes, and Martin 6). The restrictions limit new housing construction, further contributing to housing scarcity.
Moreover, while Euclidean zoning emphasizes promoting single-family residential guards against overcrowding, it leads to under-crowding. Overcrowding used to be a major challenge, especially because of tenements. Currently, it is associated more with immigrant families residing in single-family units. While addressing the issue of overcrowding, it leads to undrowning cities but creates the problem of suburban sprawl. The bias against multifamily units means that individuals have to move to suburban areas, increasing the cost of offering public services like safety and transportation.
I believe that no zoning is a better altern...