Zoning Reform in Other Cities

In surveying other cities, it is clear that zoning matters across the country. Zoning code rewrite projects started in the mid-1990s and they are continuing today. Thus, zoning reform is a current trend.

A 1999 report prepared by the Metropolitan Planning Council, found that 22 of the 50 largest U.S. cities had undertaken zoning reform in the past five years. More recently, Chicago completed a comprehensive code rewrite in 2004, Denver began a code update project in 2005, and Baltimore is about a year into the process.

Philadelphia can greatly benefit from the experience of these other cities. We can look at these new codes for key reform elements and innovations.

For more information on other cities and their zoning and remapping experience, you can review the Metropolitan Planning Council’s reports:

• The Lay of the Land: A National Survey of Zoning Reform, September 1999
• The Lay of the Land: Lessons Learned On Mapping and Community Participation, November 2003

To see quick snapshots of zoning matters for other cities, choose from the links below:

• Chicago
• Denver
• Milwaukee
• Minneapolis
• Pittsburgh
• Baltimore
• Washington, D.C.