The Roots of Racial Disparities in Residential Zoning Practice: The Case of Henrico County, Virginia, 1978–2015. Issue 2 (3rd March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Whittemore, Andrew H.
• Is Part Of: Housing policy debate. Volume 30:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 191
• Page End: 204
• Publication Date: 2020-03-03
• Subjects: urban planning -- suburban -- land use/zoning -- local; Housing policy -- United States -- Periodicals; Housing -- United States -- Finance -- Periodicals; Housing policy; Public housing -- Finance; United States; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 363.58097305
• DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2019.1657928
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1051-1482

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article examines the distribution of conditional rezonings for residential development in Henrico County, Virginia, from 1978 through 2015. It finds that prior to the mid-1990s, racial characteristics, relative to homeownership, income, and educational characteristics, most markedly distinguish the census tracts where the county approved conditional rezonings for residential development: both from tracts where it approved rezonings without conditions and from the county as a whole. The study uses evidence from planning commission minutes and interviews to explore the reasons for this disparity, arguing that it likely resulted from a combination of developers' perceptions and the historically differing extent of political representation and advocacy between white and African American communities. The study thus provides further evidence of racial disparities in the geography of zoning practice, although it also explains that the reasons for these disparities are far from straightforward.