Rethinking zoning for people: Utilizing the concept of the village

In this chapter, we propose it is time to re-think and re-imagine how we approach zoning. This is especially true for suburban developments. Today, especially in the United States, zoning in suburban areas is being used to segregate and separate the component parts of our communities into distinct zones which are spread out geographically and in most cases require the daily use of an automobile. The negative consequences of this form of development for health, community and the environment are discussed. Using a study of neighborhoods in Dublin, Ireland and its suburbs we examine how professionals and the public view the places they live and connect these perspectives to the manner in which zoning has changed over the course of the twentieth century. Insights from these professionals and the public lead us to propose that planners, engineers and developers be expected to think more about the kinds of walkable village neighborhoods that people seem to be drawn to almost instinctively. We urge that zoning laws be re-purposed to enable the building of communities that people prefer to live in.