Book Review: “Arbitrary Lines”

Book Reviews are a relatively new category of post on Rural Resurrection. As the name suggests, Book Reviews takes a look at books that have a rural subject, or provides commentary on a subject matter that affects rural communities. Our last Book Review was “Rural Areas in Transition“. This Book Review is written by Daniel Bennett, AICP,  a Program Manager for Civic Nebraska (@CivicNE). He’s also a board member of the Nebraska Planning and Zoning Association and a member of APA Nebraska.

Arbitrary Lines

The Nolan Gray’s “Arbitrary Lines” is a thought-provoking exploration of the origins of zoning, its alleged exclusive and selective benefits, and the potential future of city planning that shifts focus from separation of uses to effectively controlling “negative externalities.” His argument
centers on the contention that zoning is not a “good institution gone bad,” but rather was designed from the start to segregate and exclude segments of the population. Through historical examples and his provocative call to abolish zoning, Gray challenges conventional wisdom and invites planners to reflect on and account for zoning’s shadow side.

Much of the criticism Gray puts forth in “Arbitrary Lines” is directed at the exclusionary effects of single-family zoning and the social and economic harms that result. Gray highlights how practices such as minimum lot sizes, max densities, and prohibition of apartments perpetuate socioeconomic segregation by limiting housing options and perpetuating housing unaffordability. By delving into historical contexts and case studies, Gray demonstrates how single-family zoning has been used as a tool to maintain and perpetuate inequality. He urges local governments to pursue the “low-hanging fruit” of abolishing single-family detached zoning by incorporating duplexes and fourplexes, developments often referred to as “missing-middle” housing. Other low-hanging fruits include abolishing minimum parking regulations and
lowering minimum lot size or floor area ratios.

Gray’s Vision

Gray’s vision for the future of planning diverges from traditional zoning-based approaches. He argues that a more effective approach lies in focusing on negative externalities that regulations can controlsuch as noise, smells, smoke or traffic- rather than rigid land use categorizations. A whole chapter is devoted to demonstrating an alternative to zoning by describing the “great unzoned city” of Houston, TX. Gray explains how Houston uses tools like deed restrictions and ordinances tied to negative externalities which are able to mitigate land use conflicts while better accommodating emergent land use needs. This approach, Gray argues, would free planners up to do less site regulation management and do more big picture planning and mediation.

“Arbitrary Lines” is an accessible discussion of the history of zoning and its shortcomings. Gray provides a compelling critique of zoning and, in particular, single-family zones, but perhaps could have provided a fuller account of how zoning in many cities has been adapted to focus
on form and controlling the externalities he highlights. Gray’s work could be criticized for not providing the same detail of examples and evidence for the solutions he advocates as he does
when demonstrating the problem. In our Nebraska Planners Book Club discussion, attendees discussed the real-world popularity of policies that protect investments in property (specifically single-family homes) and skepticism that the “invisible hand” of the market would sort out
land use compatibility.

Overall Opinion of the Book

Overall, Nolan Gray’s “Arbitrary Lines” is a timely and important contribution to the discourse on urban planning and housing policy. Perhaps the greatest contribution is his direction of our attention to the actual outcomes of our conventional zoning codes as they really are and not as we hoped they would be. While it’s unlikely that many Nebraska communities will abolish their zoning code, planners could benefit from discussion on how to put preservation of the common
good- the health, safety, and economic well-being of all people- above preservation of the regulatory tools our towns have come to utilize.