WE’RE BUILDING A NATIONAL ZONING ATLAS.

Zoning laws, adopted by upwards of 30,000 local governments across the country, are important. Because they dictate virtually everything that gets built in the United States, they have tremendous impact on our economy, environment, society, and even health.  But no one — not even experts — know enough about what they actually say, because they are so decentralized, inconsistent, and convoluted.

We’re building the National Zoning Atlas to unlock zoning’s black box by centralizing, standardizing, and making accessible information about zoning. We believe if people understand zoning, they will be empowered to improve it. We think enabling apples-to-apples comparisons of cities and towns will promote understanding of regional and statewide trends. We hope that information about zoning will strengthen planning for housing production, transportation infrastructure, food security, and climate response.

We’re a nonprofit organization with an educational and data-gathering mission. Our nonpartisan effort has engaged institutions and people from across the political spectrum — proving that shining a light on zoning is of interest to us all. Learn more about the Atlas here.