12: Strike Zone

Strike. Verb. A disaster, or other unwelcome phenomenon that suddenly occurs and has harmful or damaging effects on something. 

Zoning has afflicted our cities - some might say even damaged them - through their lack of flexibility and sterility. A hundred years on, the experiment of zoning is a massive failure. 

However, it doesn't have to be this way. Other countries don't even have single use zoning like single family zoning in the US... Many others have zoning that is dictated at the federal level. 

In this week’s episode, we’ll be talking about the absurdity of zoning in the USA, and why other countries are able to see better outcomes in their versions of zoning.

Further reading...

Catch  Mike Eliason's piece on Seattle's single family zoning history on the Urbanist.

Larch Lab's page on Baugruppen, with several links and examples.

‘Cities across America Question Single Family Zoning,’ Emily Badger, New York Times. 

‘Japanese Zoning,’ Simon Vallee, Urban Kchoze. 

Lastly, to stay up to date with what Michael Eliason is doing at Larch Lab, be sure to sign up for newsletter updates.