Zoning and the American dream: Promises still to keep

Veronica — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 21:23:38 +0000

Title: Zoning and the American dream : Promises still to keep

Editors: Charles M. Haar and Jerold S. Kayden

Publisher: Planners Press, American Planning Association in association with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Call Number: KF5698 .Z6 1989

This thoughtful book assesses just how well zoning is meeting its goals six decades after it was introduced. Zoning and the American Dream finds grounds for both optimism and pessimism. Though susceptible to gross misuse, Haar and Kayden argue that zoning is still the most powerful tool available for shaping the environment in which we live and work.

The book starts before the Supreme Court’s 1926 landmark decision in Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Company with a look at the battles that prompted litigation. It’s a story of strong-willed individuals, surprising political coalitions, and debate on some of the major philosophical issues of the Progressive era.

This great drama is recounted with flair and detail. The dusty files of Ambler Realty Company’s lawyers are exhumed to reveal the thinking behind the case. We’re given a lively first hand perspective of the unfolding trail strategy. There’s also a look at the personal backgrounds of major and minor players and an appendix with the complete text of the decision.

The book also explores the problematic sides of zoning—for example, its use for racial and class discrimination. One chapter uncovers how some communities have even used zoning not only to exclude blacks but to destroy existing viable black neighborhoods by zoning for intrusive commercial and industrial uses.

The book casts a skeptical eye on increased judicial intervention in zoning as constitutional battles have involved judges more and more in the planning of American communities. It also examines the pervasive impact of zoning on design and questions the compatibility of zoning and traditional economic theory.

Zoning and the American Dream is the first book that looks at zoning from every imaginable perspective: historical, physical design and planning, sociological, legal, economic, and political. It’s a useful reference for professionals. And just a good read for anyone interested in the nature of American communities.

About the Editors:

Charles M. Haar, Visiting Professor of Law, earned an A.B. from New York University in 1940, an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1941, and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1948. A frequent visitor at UM Law, he is Brandeis Professor of Law Emeritus at Harvard Law School. Professor Haar is an authority on real property development, and was a leading participant in the formulation of Great Society Programs. He has been assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and has chaired several Presidential task forces on the environment and on model cities.

Jerold S. Kayden is the Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning and Design at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and previously served as Co-Chair of the Department of Urban Planning and Design and Director of the Master in Urban Planning Degree Program. His research and teaching focus on the relationship between law and the built environment and public-private urban development. His books include Privately Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience; Landmark Justice: The Influence of William J. Brennan on America’s Communities; and Zoning and the American Dream: Promises Still To Keep. He has also authored numerous articles on such subjects as property rights, smart growth, design codes, historic preservation, and market-based regulatory instruments.

On the Web:

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Old School

Laura Costello — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 23:01:56 +0000

In beginning to write about presidential schools, I got sidetracked right out of the gate. Colonial America can do that to me. Like space, it’s a place that seems elegant and exciting but is in reality plagued with horribly mundane and mundanely horrible experiences. In an effort not to draw the ire of those colonially-focused scholars who may be compulsively Googling me (I swear it’s not an entirely irrational fear) I will focus specifically on oldest of the Colonial Colleges: Harvard, and the College of William & Mary, and not delve into any topics which require actual study. When looking at the alma maters of the first handful of presidents to receive them, I began to wonder why William & Mary felt the need to proclaim itself on its website, “one of America’s oldest and best colleges” and Harvard kept so smugly silent about the same. Harvard and William & Mary are the oldest of the old (like 1600s old) and everyone has heard of Harvard but it took me a moment to realize W&M was still in the business. (Haters, cut some slack! I’m from the prairie.)

Don’t get me wrong, W&M has a well-respected program among public colleges, but it simply can’t match the notoriety of its predecessor. W&M’s troubles seem to have begun when plans for its pre-Harvard opening were derailed by an “Indian uprising.” And yeah, William & Mary’s program is a lot smaller and after far different things than Harvard’s. W&M is heavily skewed towards undergraduate education while Harvard’s scale tips the other direction. Harvard has about 21,000 students while W&M is a bit shy of 8,000. W&M website is actually kind of cool, despite having the world’s most annoying website blurb writer, who is visit-worthy awful (“some call it history, we call it campus”). William & Mary also has the oldest continually-used academic building in the United States! It was completed in 1699 though it did burn down several times and was rebuilt within the original walls, so it’s not really as cool as it sounds. It’s not like they have a castle or anything. Oh, but George Washington went there to get his surveyor’s license (back when surveying was the hot thing). Oh yeah…Thomas Jefferson, too, but he went to legit college as he didn’t have all that AmRev street cred to help him become president. They educated like 5 presidents (or six if you count future president Jon Stewart).

But I mean…Harvard. Let’s have us a little scrolling party:

Wikipedia-William & Mary People

Wikipedia-Harvard People

I know your finger is tired, both of them have had a lot of time to build up ye olde alumni pile. Harvard’s website is extraordinarily classy though. It’s all black and red and spare like some drafty modern loft. It’s almost annoying how much it believes in its own notoriety. I guess they’ve earned it, but W&M has earned it too. Take note W&M website writer: We need some discretion up in here. Your bragging belies your age and station.

Learning at the Library » Harvard

Zoning and the American dream: Promises still to keep

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