Zoning laws and regulations were first instituted in the US in the late 19th century. We were pretty much a rural society at that time, but when urbanization really took off, and immigration also was high, the population of our neighborhoods became much more diverse. Sadly, in my opinion, zoning laws initially began by directly banning people based on race and ethnicity.
Yes, zoning actually began as racism.
In the early 1900s, many cities passed lot restrictions requiring a minimum construction cost and even prohibited the sale of homes to blacks. Communities like Los Angeles, for example, enacted the nation’s first municipal zoning ordinance in 1908, which prohibited in residential areas “nuisance” uses such as laundries, which were largely owned at the time by immigrants.
In 1926, the US Supreme Court upheld what has come to be THE landmark case for zoning by communities: Euclid v Ambler. Euclid, Ohio’s authority to regulate uses on particular lots and separate specific uses was upheld and stands to this day. And it even seems, on its surface, to make good sense.
This idea then spread to many municipalities and spawned the Euclidean zoning we have today. Basically, it allowed suburban homes, away from the commerce, which, coupled with the advent of the automobile, essentially created more homogenous neighborhoods. And this, in turn, actually furthered racial, ethnic and economic segregation.
I encourage you to study this more; what I’m saying here is a very cursory overview and simplification of our history. There is way too much to put into this short article.
(next time: some examples of current zoning methods)