For 56 years, travelers along Interstate 5 north of Red Bluff have seen a tree decked out for the holidays. Locals call it Carrie’s Tree. It’s not an especially pretty tree. In fact, some would say it is a downright wicked-looking tree. Its smooth, chocolate-colored branches are covered with two-inch-long spiked thorns. Its wide, domed […]
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Connecticut Zoning Atlas Makes the Case for Zoning Reform
The nation s first interactive map letting citizens visualize their town s zoning laws
The Connecticut Zoning Atlas allows users to visualize complicated housing regulations. Copy Link
Citizens of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities probably don’t spend a lot of time considering the zoning laws that determine what can be built and where. A statewide team including University of Connecticut researchers hopes to change that.
An interdisciplinary team of researchers developed the nation’s first interactive map that shows what kind of housing is allowed in each town to encourage equity, prosperity, and a cleaner environment.
A peek at the Connecticut Zoning Atlas
Recently a coalition of zoning reform advocates, DesegregateCT, released the first interactive map in the country to document how all zoning districts in a single state treat housing. The groundbreaking Connecticut Zoning Atlas is likely to be one of the most important tools for planning our communities our state has ever seen.
Rebecca Augur
Zoning is important, because it affects all of our lives. Through zoning, public officials decide where you can live, open a business, or even grab a cup of coffee before work. Yet while the impact of zoning is clear, for most people, reading the zoning code itself is not. According to law professor and architect Sara Bronin, who led the research team for the Zoning Atlas, the average length of zoning text in our state is 180 pages, and several zoning codes were not even available online. Most of these codes are filled with planning terms and can even sometimes be difficult for attorneys and planners to i