The National Zoning Atlas

The National Zoning Atlas, housed in Cornell University’s Legal Constructs Lab within the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, is a collaborative research initiative that brings together two-dozen state teams with members from over 50 institutions working to compile key aspects of zoning codes into a first-of-its-kind, user-friendly, online resource. The standardized zoning map will enable easy comparisons across jurisdictions, provide insights into regional and statewide trends, and offer valuable support to policymakers in monitoring and promoting zoning reform efforts. Beyond these practical outcomes, the National Zoning Atlas aims to democratize zoning information and thus encourage participation in land use decisions, inform zoning reform advocacy, and narrow a wide information gap that currently favors land speculators, institutional investors, and homeowners over socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. This session will include presentations by state team members from New Hampshire, Montana, Hawaii, and New York as well as a representative from the National Zoning Atlas central team.