Editing Zoning (section)

==By country==
{{more citations needed|section|date=May 2021}}
{{globalize|section|English-speaking world|date=May 2021}}

===Australia===
{{Main article|Urban planning in Australia}}

The legal framework for land use zoning in Australia is established by [[states and territories of Australia|States and Territories]], hence each State or Territory has different zoning rules. Land use zones are generally defined at [[local government in Australia|local government level]], and most often called Planning Schemes. In reality, however in all cases the state governments have an absolute ability to overrule the local decision-making. There are administrative appeal processes such as [[Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal|VCAT]] to challenge decisions.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!  State / Territory
!  Planning framework
!  Land use regulation
|-
| [[Australian Capital Territory|ACT]]
|  [http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/ni/2008-27/20110415-47623/default.asp Territory Plan 2008]
|  Land Use Policy
|-
| [[New South Wales|NSW]]
|  Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979
|  Local Environmental Plans (LEP)
|-
| [[Northern Territory|NT]]
|  Planning Act
|  Planning Scheme
|-
| [[Queensland|QLD]]
|  Sustainable Planning Act 2009 repealed. Planning Act 2016
|  Planning Schemes
|-
| [[South Australia|SA]]
|  Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016
|  Planning and Design Code
|-
| [[Tasmania|TAS]]
|  Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993
|  Planning Schemes
|-
| [[Victoria (Australia)|VIC]]
| [[Planning and Environment Act 1987]]
|  Planning Schemes
|-
| [[Western Australia|WA]]
|  Planning and Development Act 2005
|  Planning Schemes
|}

[[Urban planning|Statutory planning]], otherwise known as town planning, development control or development management, refers to the part of the planning process that is concerned with the regulation and management of changes to land use and development.<ref>Gleeson B. and Low N., ''Australian Urban Planning: New Challenges, New Agendas'', Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, 2000.</ref> Planning and zoning have a great political dimension, with governments often criticized for favouring developers; also [[nimbyism]] is very prevalent.

===Canada===

In Canada, land-use control is a provincial responsibility deriving from the constitutional authority over property and civil rights. This authority had been granted to the provinces under the [[British North America Acts]] of 1867 and was carried forward in the [[Constitution Act, 1982]]. The zoning power relates to ''real property'', or land and the improvements constructed thereon that become part of the land itself (in Québec, ''immeubles''). The provinces empowered the municipalities and regions to control the use of land within their boundaries, letting the municipalities establish their own zoning by-laws. There are provisions for control of land use in unorganized areas of the provinces. Provincial tribunals are the ultimate authority for appeals and reviews.

=== France ===

In France, the Code of Urbanism ({{langx|fr|[[:fr:Code de l'urbanisme (France)|Code de l’urbanisme]]}}, also called the Town Planning Code), a national law, guides regional and local planning and outlines procedures for obtaining building permits. Unlike England where planners must use their discretion to allow use or building type changes, private development in France is permitted as long as the developer follows the legally-binding regulations.

=== Japan ===
Zoning districts are classified into twelve use zones.<ref name="mlit:1">{{Cite web |date=January 2003 |title=Introduction to Land use Planning System in Japan |url=http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/000234477.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913101110/http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/000234477.pdf |archive-date=13 September 2014 |access-date=June 7, 2022 |publisher=[[Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism]]}}</ref> Each zone determines a building's shape and permitted uses. A building's shape is controlled by zonal restrictions on allowable [[floor area ratio]] and height (in absolute terms and in relation with adjacent buildings and roads).<ref name=":1" /> These controls are intended to allow adequate light and ventilation between buildings and on roads.<ref name=":1" /> Instead of single-use zoning, zones are defined by the "most intense" use permitted. Uses of lesser intensity are permitted in zones where higher intensity uses are permitted but higher intensity uses are not allowed in lower intensity zones.<ref name=":1" />
{| class="wikitable"
!Category
!Description
|-
|Category 1 Exclusively Low-Rise Residential Zone
|Designated for low-rise residential buildings.

Permitted uses within these buildings include small shops, offices and elementary and high schools.
|-
|Category 2 Exclusively Low-Rise Residential Zone
|Designated for low-rise residential buildings with above permitted uses as well as shop buildings with floor area up to 150 m<sup>2</sup>.
|-
|Category 1 Medium and High-rise oriented Residential Zone
|Designated for medium to high-rise residential buildings with hospitals, university buildings and shop buildings with floor areas up to 500 m<sup>2</sup> also permitted.
|-
|Category 2 Medium and High-rise oriented Residential zone
|Same as Category 1 Medium and High-rise oriented Residential zone, except shops and office buildings up to 1,500 m<sup>2</sup> are permitted
|-
|Category 1 residential zone
|Designated for residential with other permitted buildings including shops, offices and hotel buildings with floor areas up to 3,000 m<sup>2</sup> and auto repair shops up to 50 m<sup>2</sup>
|-
|Category 2 residential zone:
|Same as Category 1 residential zone, except karaoke boxes are permitted and there are no longer building size restrictions in this zone.
|-
|Quasi-residential zone
|Designated primarily residential with introduction of vehicle-related road facilities.
Same permitted uses as Category 2 residential zone with addition of theatres, restaurants, stores and other entertainment facilities with more than 10,000 m<sup>2</sup> of floor area and warehouses.
|-
|Neighbourhood commercial zone
|Designated for neighbourhood-based daily shopping activities.

Same permitted uses as Quasi-residential zone with addition of auto-repair shops with areas up to 300 m<sup>2</sup>.
|-
|Commercial zone
|Designated for banks, cinemas and department stores.
Same permitted uses as Neighbourhood commercial zone with addition of public bathhouses
|-
|Quasi-industrial
|Designated for light industrial and service facilities.
Same permitted uses as Commercial zone with addition of factories with some possible danger of environmental degradation.
|-
|Industrial zone
|Designated for factories.
Residences and shopping can be constructed but schools, hospitals and hotels are impermissible
|-
|Exclusively industrial
|Designated for factories. All non-factory uses are impermissible.
|}

===New Zealand===
{{Main article|Resource Management Act 1991}}

New Zealand's planning system is grounded in effects-based Performance Zoning under the Resource Management Act.

===Philippines===
Zoning and land use planning in the Philippines is governed by the [[Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development]] (DHSUD) and previously by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), which lays out national zoning guidelines and regulations, and oversees the preparation and implementation of comprehensive land use plans (CLUPs) and zoning ordinances by city and municipal governments under their mandate in the [[Local Government Code of 1991]] (Republic Act No. 7160).

The present zoning scheme used in the Philippines is detailed in the HLURB's Model Zoning Ordinance published in 2014, which outlines 26 basic zone types based on primary usage and building regulations (as defined in the National Building Code), and also includes [[Public domain (land)|public domain]] and water bodies within the municipality's jurisdiction.<ref name="CLUP 3">{{cite book |title=CLUP Guidebook – A Guide to Comprehensive Land Use Plan Preparation |url=https://dhusd.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/Publication/Guidebooks/HLURB_CLUP_Vol_3.pdf |publisher=Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board |volume=3 |date=2014 |access-date=May 4, 2021}}</ref> Local governments may also add overlays identifying special use zones such as areas prone to [[natural disaster]]s, [[ancestral land]]s of [[Indigenous peoples of the Philippines|indigenous peoples]] (IPs), heritage zones, [[ecotourism]] areas, [[transit-oriented development]]s (TODs), and scenic corridors. Residential and commercial zones are further subdivided into subclasses defined by density, commercial zones also allow for residential uses, and industrial zones are subdivided by their intensity and the environmental impact of the uses allowed.<ref name="CLUP 3" />  Regulations on residential, commercial, and industrial zones may differ between municipalities, so one municipality may permit 4-storey buildings on medium-density residential zones, while another may only permit 2-storey buildings.<ref>{{cite web |title=4.15. Zoning Ordinance |url=http://www.cookbook.hlurb.gov.ph/4-15-zoning-ordinance |publisher=Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board |date=November 26, 2007 |access-date=January 15, 2018}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
!Type
!Description
|-
|Forest
|Forested areas, subdivided into protection forests and productions forests. Protection forests includes forest reserves, [[List of national parks of the Philippines|national parks]] and [[List of protected areas of the Philippines|protected areas]], military reserves and civil reserves, and forested urban buffer zones. Production forest includes forestry lands, special use zones, and grazing lands.
|-
|Agriculture
|Land intended for agricultural activities, including land cultivation, tree growing, livestock, poultry, fisheries and aquaculture. Subdivided into protection agriculture (agriculture protection zones as designated by the [[Department of Agriculture (Philippines)|Department of Agriculture]]) and production agriculture
|-
|Agro-industrial
|Intended for integrated farms and processing of harvested crops.
|-
|Municipal waters
|All water bodies under the jurisdiction of the municipality, as defined in the Fisheries Code (Republic Act 8550), excluding areas designated as protected areas by the national government. Subdivided into [[Marine sanctuary|fishery refuge and sanctuary]], [[foreshore]] land, [[mangrove]], [[River delta|delta]]/[[estuary]], lakes, aquaculture zones, commercial fishing zones, municipal fishing zones, and [[sea lane]]s.
|-
|Mineral land
|Lands intended for mining. Subdivided into mineral reservations, small-scale mining zones and [[quarry|quarries]].
|-
|General residential
|Intended principally for housing.
|-
|Residential-1 (R-1)
|Intended for low-rise, low-density, single-family housing, such as single-detached homes, [[Duplex (building)|duplex]] houses, and [[Subdivision (land)|subdivisions]]. Also permitted are home occupations and businesses, [[sari-sari stores]], home-based [[cottage industries]], local recreational facilities, nurseries and daycares, elementary schools, tutors, places of worship, [[barangay]] halls, and local health centers. Buildings can be up to three stories and a height of {{convert|10|m|sp=us}}.
|-
|Residential-2 (R-2)
|Intended for low-rise, medium-density, multi-family dwellings. Buildings can be up to five stories and a height of {{convert|15|m|sp=us}}. All uses in R-1 zones, apartments, [[boarding house]]s, [[Dormitory|dormitories]], high schools, technical schools, museums, and libraries permitted. Subdivided into basic R-2 and maximum R-2, with the former having a limit of three stories and {{convert|10|m|sp=us}}.

|-
|Residential-3 (R-3)
|Intended for low- to medium-rise, medium- to high-density, multi-family dwellings. Buildings can be up to twelve stories and a height of {{convert|36|m|sp=us}} All uses in R-1 and R-2 zones, residential [[Condominium (living space)|condominium]]s, and commercial accommodation (hotels, pension houses, hotel apartments, except motels), and parking buildings permitted. Subdivided into basic R-3 and maximum R-3, with the former having a height limit of three stories and {{convert|10|m|sp=us}}.

|-
|Residential-4 (R-4)
|Intended for [[townhouse]]s. Buildings can be up to three stories and a height of {{convert|10|m|sp=us}} All uses in R-1 and R-2 zones permitted.

|-
|Residential-5 (R-5)
|Intended for medium- to high-rise, high-density, and multi-family dwellings such as high-rise residential condominiums. Buildings can be up to 18 stories and a height of {{convert|54|m|sp=us}}. All uses in R-1 through R-4 zones permitted.

|-
|Socialised housing
|Intended for areas designated for [[Affordable housing|socialised housing]] projects undertaken by the Philippine government or the private sector to house underprivileged citizens and the homeless. Allowed uses defined in Batas Pambansa No. 220.

|-
|General commercial
|Intended for businesses, trade and services.

|-
|Commercial-1 (C-1)
|Intended for low-density, neighborhood-scale businesses. All uses in R-1 zones also permitted. Buildings can be up to 3 stories and a height of {{convert|10|m|sp=us}}.

|-
|Commercial-2 (C-2)
|Intended for medium- to high-density business activity complementing or supplementing the city or municipality's [[central business district]] (CBD).

All uses in R-1, R-2, and C-1 zones allowed, with the addition of wholesale stores, [[Palengke|public markets]], malls, supermarkets, [[call center|call centre]]s, broadcasting and film studios, [[car dealerships]], automotive-related services, scrap dealers, hardware stores, construction-related businesses, garden stores, signmakers, welders, furniture makers, commercial condominiums, ''[[lechon]]'' stores, ''[[chicharon]]'' factories, and [[motel]]s. Buildings can be up to 6 stories and a height of {{convert|18|m|sp=us}}.

|-
|Commercial-3 (C-3)
|High-density commercial area forming a city or municipality's CBD.

All uses in R-3, R-4, R-5, C-1 and C-2 zones allowed, with the addition of regional shopping malls. Buildings can be up to 60 stories and a height of {{convert|180|m|sp=us}}.

|-
|Industrial-1 (I-1)
|Intended for light manufacturing or production activities that are non-polluting.

Some allowed uses are [[dried fish]] production, biscuit factories, boat, [[pump boat]]/motor ''banca'' and small watercraft manufacturing, printing presses, most electronics factories, medical equipment manufacturing, wooden furniture manufacturing, garments factories, water pumping station, sewage or wastewater treatment plants, and warehouses for non-polluting and non-hazardous products. Areas can have parks or playgrounds. Buildings can be up to a height of {{convert|15|m|sp=us}}.

|-
|Industrial-2 (I-2)
|Intended for medium-intensity manufacturing or production activities that are polluting.

Some permitted uses are canning plants, rice or corn mills, animal feed mills medicine and pharmaceutical manufacturers, metal and plastic furniture manufacturers, glass factories garments and textile factories, rice mills, flour mills, cigar and cigarette factories, vehicle manufacturers, shipyards, hangars, warehouses for polluting and hazardous products, paint stores, and large slaughterhouses. Areas can have parks or playgrounds. Buildings can be up to a height of {{convert|21|m|sp=us}}.

|-
|Industrial-3 (I-3)
|Intended for high-intensity manufacturing or production activities that are usually highly polluting and extremely hazardous.

Some permitted uses include meat processing plants (except those for ham, bacon, sausages and chicharon) soft drink factories, sugar mills, paper mills, cement factories, chemical plants, steel plants, textile factories, canned fish factories, ''[[bagoong]]'' and ''[[Fish sauce|patis]]'' factories,  oil depots, terminals and refineries, warehouses for highly polluting and hazardous products, and power plants. Areas can have parks or playgrounds. Buildings can be up to a height of {{convert|27|m|sp=us}}.

|-
| General institutional
| Intended primarily for government or civic centers, police and fire stations, government buildings, higher education institutions (college, universities, vocational, technical or trade schools), learning facilities (libraries, training centres), scientific, cultural and academic centres, convention centres, hospitals and medical centres, places of worship, seminaries or convents, and embassies/consulates. Buildings can be up to a height of {{convert|15|m|sp=us}}.

|-
| Special institutional
| Intended primarily for social welfare institutions (orphanages, Boys/Girls Town, [[Nursing home|homes for the aged]]), [[rehabilitation center|rehabilitation centre]]s, military installations, prisons and other correctional institutions, [[Leprosarium|leprosaria]], and [[Psychiatric hospital|mental health asylum]]s. Buildings can be up to a height of {{convert|15|m|sp=us}}.

|-
| Parks and recreation
| Intended for parks and recreational facilities like playgrounds, resort complexes, sports facilities, memorials/shrines and open spaces serving as [[buffer zone]]s or [[easement]]s. Buildings can be up to a height of {{convert|15|m|sp=us}}.

|-
| Cemetery/memorial park
| Area intended for cemeteries or memorial parks, including columbaria, crematoria, and ossuaries. Buildings can be up to a height of {{convert|15|m|sp=us}}, and site subject to DHUSD regulations.

|-
| Buffer/greenbelt
| Yard, parks or open spaces intended to serve as a buffer zone or [[greenbelt]] between conflicting land use zones. Allowed uses are parks and related structures, plant nurseries, agriculture, silviculture and horticulture. No permanent structures are permitted, and any buildings can be only up to a height of {{convert|6|m|sp=us}}.

|-
| Utilities, transportation and services
| Area designated for use by functional buildings and structures used for utilities, transportation, and other public services. Permitted uses include bus terminals and train stations, ports, airports, power plants, landfills and waste management facilities, weather and climate management stations, telecommunications facilities, and large complexes for other public services. Buildings can be up to a height of {{convert|15|m|sp=us}}.

|-
|Tourism
|Areas dedicated for tourism activity. Allowed uses include [[agritourism]], resort areas, [[theme park]]s, heritage/historical sites, tourist accommodation, souvenir shops, and outdoor sports grounds.
|}

===Singapore===
{{Main article|Urban planning in Singapore}}

The framework for governing land uses in Singapore is administered by the [[Urban Redevelopment Authority]] (URA) through the Master Plan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ura.gov.sg/MP08|title=URA Master Plan 2008 website}}</ref> The Master Plan is a statutory document divided into two sections: the plans and the Written Statement. The plans show the land use zoning allowed across Singapore, while the Written Statement provides a written explanation of the zones available and their allowed uses.

===South Africa===
There are [https://glensburg.co.za/faq/rezoning-south-africa-faqs-zoning-categories/#what-are-the-different-zoning-categories-in-south-africa five (5) zoning categories in South Africa]; residential, business, industrial, agricultural, and open space zoning.<ref name="GTP-SA:3">{{Cite web |date=12 September 2022 |title=Ultimate guide to rezoning a property in South Africa |url=https://glensburg.com/za/faq/rezoning-a-property-in-south-africa/ |access-date=23 September 2023 |website=Glensburg Town Planners}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nel |first=Verna |date=2016-09-01 |title=A better zoning system for South Africa? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837716300321 |journal=Land Use Policy |volume=55 |pages=257–264 |doi=10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.04.007 |issn=0264-8377}}</ref> These five categories are further classified into subcategories. The zoning categories are governed by the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act enacted in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SPLUMA South Africa: FAQs for Homeowners & Developers |url=https://glensburg.co.za/faq/spluma-act-south-africa/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 April 2025 |website=Glensburg Town Planners}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nel |first=Verna |date=2015-10-22 |title=Spluma, Zoning and Effective Land Use Management in South Africa |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12132-015-9265-5 |journal=Urban Forum |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=79–92 |doi=10.1007/s12132-015-9265-5 |issn=1015-3802}}</ref> To change a land use from one zone to another requires a process of [https://glensburg.co.za/faq/rezoning-south-africa-faqs-zoning-categories/ rezoning].<ref name=":3" />

===United Kingdom===
{{Main article|Development control in the United Kingdom}}

The United Kingdom does not use zoning as a technique for controlling land use. British land use control began its modern phase after the [[Town and Country Planning Act 1947|Town and Country Planning Act of 1947]]. Rather than dividing municipal maps into land use zones, English planning law places all development under the control of local and regional governments, effectively abolishing the ability to develop land by-right. However, existing development allows land use by-right as long as the use does not constitute a change in the type of land use. A property owner must apply to change land use type of any existing building, and such changes must be consistent with the local and regional land use plans.

Development control or planning control is the element of the United Kingdom's system of [[Town and country planning in the United Kingdom|town and country planning]] through which [[Local government in the United Kingdom|local government]] regulates [[land use]] and new building. There are 421 [[Local Planning Authority|Local Planning Authorities]] (LPAs) in the United Kingdom. Generally they are the local [[Borough status in the United Kingdom#Modern borough status|borough]] or [[Districts of England#Types|district council]] or a [[unitary authority]]. They each use a discretionary "plan-led system" whereby [[development plan]]s are formed and the public consulted. Subsequent development requires [[planning permission]], which will be granted or refused with reference to the development plan as a material consideration.<ref name="hirt">{{cite book |author=Hirt, Sonia A. |author-link=Sonia Hirt |title=Zoned in the USA: The Origins and Implications of American Land-Use Regulation |pages=63{{endash}}71 |location=Ithaca, New York |year=2014 |publisher=Cornell University Press}}</ref>

The plan does not provide specific guidance on what type of buildings will be allowed in a given location, rather it provides general principles for development and goals for the management of urban change. Because planning committees (made up of directly elected local councillors) or in some cases planning officers themselves (via delegated decisions) have discretion on each application for development or change of use made, the system is considered a 'discretionary' one.

Planning applications can differ greatly in scale, from [[airport]]s and [[new town]]s to minor modifications to individual houses. In order to prevent local authorities from being overwhelmed by high volumes of small-scale applications from individual householders, a separate system of [[permitted development]] has been introduced. Permitted development rules are largely form-based, but in the absence of zoning, are applied at the national level. Examples include allowing a two-storey extension up to three metres at the rear of a property, extensions up to 50% of the original width at each side, and certain types of outbuildings in the garden, provided that no more than 50% of the land area is built over.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200187/your_responsibilities/37/planning_permission/2 |title=Permitted Development Rights |publisher=United Kingdom Planning Portal}}</ref> These are appropriately sized for a typical three bedroom [[semi-detached]] property, but must be applied across a wide variety of housing types, from [[Two-up two-down|small terraces]], to larger [[Single-family detached home|detached properties]] and [[manor house]]s.

In August 2020, the UK Government published a consultation document called Planning for the Future.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/planning-for-the-future. |title=Planning for the Future |publisher=HM Government |year=2020}}</ref> The proposals hinted at a move toward zoning in England, with areas given a Growth, Renewal or Protected designation, with the possibility of "sub-areas within each category", although the document did not elaborate on what the details of these might have been. Nothing was done with these proposals and following the [[2024_United_Kingdom_general_election|2024 general election]] there are no plans for the UK to adopt zoning within its planning system.

===United States===
{{Main article|Zoning in the United States}}

[[File:TallaLandUse.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.25|Zoning scheme of the center of [[Tallahassee, Florida]], United States]]

Under the [[Police power (United States constitutional law)|police power]] rights, state governments may exercise over private [[real property]]. With this power, special laws and regulations have long been made restricting the places where particular types of business can be carried on. In 1904, [[Los Angeles]] established the nation's first land-use restrictions for a portion of the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://urbanla.weebly.com/history-of-planning.html |title=History of Planning |website=Urban Planning: Los Angeles}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://recode.la/sites/default/files/file_attachments/basic_page/OrdNo9774-ResidentialDistricts%28July%2025%201904%29.pdf |title=Ordinance #9774 Residential Districts}}</ref> [[New York City]] adopted the [[1916 Zoning Resolution|first zoning regulations]] to apply city-wide in 1916.

The constitutionality of zoning ordinances was upheld by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in the 1926 case [[Village of Euclid, Ohio v. Ambler Realty Co.]] Among large populated cities in the United States, [[Houston]] is unique in having no zoning [[local ordinance|ordinances]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4475351|title=Houston Chronicle, 12-10, 2007}}</ref> The city instead has a proliferation of private [[deed restriction]]s<ref name="Houston Landing" /> and retains government regulations like minimum lot size and setbacks.<ref name="Planetizen">{{cite web |url=https://www.planetizen.com/node/109 |title=Zoning Without Zoning |website=Planetizen - Urban Planning News, Jobs, and Education}}</ref> 

====Scale====
Early zoning practices were subtle and often debated. Some claim the practices started in the 1920s<ref name="Rothwell2010">Rothwell, Jonathan T. and Massey, Douglas S. (2010) "Density Zoning and Class Segregation in U.S. Metropolitan Areas" Social Science Quarterly. Volume 91, Issue 5, pp.1123-1141</ref> while others suggest the birth of zoning occurred in New York in 1916.<ref>Natoli, Salvatore J. (1971) "Zoning and the Development of Urban Land Use Patterns" Economic Geography. Volume 47, Number 2, pp. 171-184</ref> Both of these examples for the start of zoning, however, were urban cases. Zoning becomes an increasing legal force as it continues to expand in its geographical range through its introduction in other urban centres and use in larger political and geographical boundaries. Regional zoning was the next step in increased geographical size of areas under zoning laws.<ref name="Whitnall">Whitnall, Gordon (1931) "History of Zoning" Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Volume 155, Part 2, pp.1-14</ref> A major difference between urban zoning and regional zoning was that "regional areas consequently seldom bear direct relationship to arbitrary political boundaries".<ref name="Whitnall" /> This form of zoning also included rural areas which was counter-intuitive to the theory that zoning was a result of population density.<ref name="Whitnall" /> Finally, zoning also expanded again but back to a political boundary again with state zoning.<ref name="Whitnall" />

====Types in use in the United States====
Use-based zoning, especially single-use zoning, is by far the most common type of zoning in the US, where it is known as Euclidean zoning, after Euclid, Ohio's role in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, [[Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co.]]<ref>272 U.S. 365, 71 L.Ed. 303, 47 S.Ct. 114 (1926).</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The architecture student's handbook of professional practice |last=American Institute of Architects |publisher=Wiley |year=2017 |isbn=9781118738955 |location=Hoboken |pages=509 |quote=Euclidean zoning is the most prevalent form of zoning in the United States, and thus is most familiar to planners and design professionals.}}</ref> 

====Single-use zoning in the United States====
Single-use zoning takes two forms, flat and hierarchical, also known as cumulative or pyramidal.<ref name="Hirt 2014"/>{{rp||pages=61-63}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2019 |title=Zoning 101 Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/wcm/connect/gov/791e1124-7fd6-4782-8392-367a68257391/FAQ_Factsheet_Land+Use+Zoning.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE.Z18_M1HGGIK0N0JO00QO9DDDDM3000-791e1124-7fd6-4782-8392-367a68257391-mJMzfuy |access-date=February 9, 2024 |website=Ohio Department of Health}}</ref> Under flat zoning, each district is strictly designated for one use. In a simple hierarchical zoning system, districts are organized with residential (the most sensitive and least disruptive category) at the top, followed by commercial and industrial. Residential and commercial buildings are allowed in industrial zones and residential buildings are allowed in commercial zones.<ref name="Hirt 2014" />{{rp||pages=61-63}} More complex hierarchical systems account for multiple levels within categories, such as multiple types of residential buildings in multifamily residential districts.<ref name="Hirt 2014" />{{rp||pages=|page=130}}  Hierarchical zoning generally fell out of favor in the United States in the mid-twentieth century, with flat zoning becoming more popular, although many municipalities still incorporate some degree of hierarchy in their zoning ordinances.<ref name="Hirt 2014" />{{rp||pages=|page=65}}

Single-use zoning is used by many municipalities due to its ease of implementation (one set of explicit, prescriptive rules), long-established legal precedent, and familiarity to planners and design professionals. Single-use zoning has been criticized, however, for its lack of flexibility. Separation of uses can contribute to [[urban sprawl]], loss of open space, heavy infrastructure costs, and [[automobile dependency]].<ref name="Hirt 2014" />{{rp||pages=266-275}} In particular, [[single-family zoning]], residential districts where only single-family homes can be built, has been widely criticized as a cause of sprawl and racial segregation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Infranca |first=John |date=2023 |title=Singling Out Single-Family Zoning |url=https://www.law.georgetown.edu/georgetown-law-journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2023/06/GT-GGLJ230012.pdf |journal=Georgetown Law Journal |volume=111 |pages=670}}</ref>

====Social problems in the United States====
The United States suffers from greater levels of [[deurbanization]] and [[urban decay]] than other developed countries,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/americas-cities-an-urban-_b_6896628 |title=America's Cities: An 'Urban Crisis' Ignored |work=The Huffington Post |year=2015}}</ref> and additional problems such as [[urban prairie]]s that do not occur elsewhere.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.buffalorising.com/2010/05/what-to-do-about-the-expanding-urban-prairie/ |title=What to do about the expanding urban prairie |publisher=Buffalo Rising |year=2010}}</ref> Jonathan Rothwell has argued that zoning encourages [[racial segregation]].<ref name="Rothwell">Rothwell, Jonathan T. and Massey, Douglas S. (2009) "The Effect of Density Zoning on Racial Segregation in U.S. Urban Areas" Urban Affairs Review. Volume 4, Number 6, pp. 779-806</ref> He claims a strong relationship exists between an area's allowance of building housing at higher density and racial integration between blacks and whites in the United States.<ref name="Rothwell" /> The relationship between segregation and density is explained by Rothwell and Massey as the restrictive density zoning producing higher housing prices in white areas and limiting opportunities for people with modest incomes to leave segregated areas.<ref name="Rothwell" /> Between 1980 and 2000, [[racial integration]] occurred faster in areas that did not have strict density regulations than those that did.<ref name="Rothwell" /> Rothwell and Massey suggest homeowners and business interests are the two key players in density regulations that emerge from a political economy.<ref name="Rothwell" /> They propose that in older states where rural jurisdictions are primarily composed of homeowners, it is the narrow interests of homeowners to block development because tax rates are lower in rural areas, and taxation is more likely to fall on the median homeowner. Business interests are unable to counteract the homeowners' interests in rural areas because business interests are weaker and business ownership is rarely controlled by people living outside the community. This translates into rural communities that have a tendency to resist development by using density regulations to make business opportunities less attractive. Density zoning regulations in the U.S increase [[residential segregation in the United States|residential segregation]] in metropolitan areas by reducing the availability of affordable housing in some jurisdictions; other zoning regulations like school infrastructure regulations and growth controls are also variables associated with higher segregation. With more permissive zoning regulations there are lower levels of segregation; desegregation is higher in places with more liberal regulations on zoning, allowing the residents to integrate racially.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rothwell |first1=Jonathan |last2=Massey |first2=Douglas S. |title=The Effect of Density Zoning on Racial Segregation in U.S. Urban Areas |journal=Urban Affairs Review |date=July 2009 |volume=44 |issue=6 |pages=779–806 |doi=10.1177/1078087409334163 |pmid=25009413 |pmc=4083588}}</ref> Metropolitan areas that allowed higher density development moved rapidly toward racial integration than their counterparts with strict density limitations. The greater the allowable density, the lower the level of racial segregation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rothwell |first1=Jonathan |last2=Massey |first2=Douglas S. |title=The Effect of Density Zoning on Racial Segregation in U.S. Urban Areas |journal=Urban Affairs Review |date=July 2009 |volume=44 |issue=6 |pages=779–806 |doi=10.1177/1078087409334163|pmid=25009413 |pmc=4083588 }}</ref>

Zoning laws that limit the construction of new housing (like [[single-family zoning]]) are associated with reduced affordability and are a major factor in [[residential segregation in the United States]] by income and race.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Monkkonen |first1=Paavo |title=The Elephant in the Zoning Code: Single Family Zoning in the Housing Supply Discussion |journal=Housing Policy Debate |date=2019 |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=41–43 |doi=10.1080/10511482.2018.1506392|s2cid=158380453 |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2hk5k1k6 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Knaap |first1=Gerrit-Jan |last2=Meck |first2=Stuart |last3=Moore |first3=Terry |last4=Parker |first4=Robert |title=Do we know regulatory barriers when we see them? An exploration using zoning and development indicators |journal=Housing Policy Debate |date=2007 |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=711–749 |doi=10.1080/10511482.2007.9521619|s2cid=154878958 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Garde |first1=Ajay |last2=Song |first2=Qi |title=Housing Affordability Crisis and Inequities of Land Use Change: Insights From Cities in the Southern California Region |journal=Journal of the American Planning Association |date=2022 |volume=88 |issue=1 |pages=67–82 |doi=10.1080/01944363.2021.1911673 |s2cid=237827933 |url=https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/14842783 |quote=Researchers, national and state leaders, and professional and community interest groups argue that regulatory barriers contribute to housing shortages, emphasize that the strictness of land use regulation is correlated with high housing prices, and recommend zoning reform to address the problem}}</ref>