Why is single-family zoning considered "practically gospel" in America, and how did invisible lines drawn a century ago lead to today's housing affordability crisis? In this episode of pplpod, we dig into the history of Zoning in the United States, a system of laws dividing land into specific districts that originated with limits on wash houses in Los Angeles and the 1916 New York City Zoning Resolution designed to stop skyscrapers from blocking the sun,.

We explore how early zoning ordinances were often motivated by racism and classism, serving as a workaround to segregate neighborhoods after the Supreme Court struck down explicit racial ordinances in 1917,. You’ll learn about the landmark Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co. case that solidified the constitutionality of "Euclid ...