The Politics of Exclusionary Zoning in Suburbia

With growing awareness of impact of suburban policies on metropolitan settlement patterns in recent years has come increasing criticism of local land-use and housing practices. One major civil rights group, National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing, has concluded that there can no effective progress in halting trend toward predominantly black cities surrounded by almost entirely white suburbs . . . [u]ntil local governments have been deprived of power exclude subsidized housing and manipulate zoning and other controls screen out families on basis of income and, implicitly, of race. . .. At same time, National Association for Advancement of Colored People was calling suburbs the new civil rights battleground and urging blacks to do battle out in townships and villages lower zoning and thereby create new opportunities for Negroes seeking housing closer today's jobs at prices they can afford pay.... 2 Similar views have been expressed by a wide variety of urban interests. Residential developers have attacked selfish and exclusionary zoning barriers and urged that a way be found get away from constrictive home-rule aspects