Single-family zoning

Residential planning classification Zoning map of Winnipeg (1947); single-family zoning highlighted in yellow An example of a single-family home in the United States Single-family zoning is a type of planning restriction applied to certain residential zones in the United States and Canada in order to restrict development to only allow single-family detached homes. It disallows townhomes, duplexes, and multifamily housing (apartments) from being built on any plot of land with this zoning designation. It is a form of exclusionary zoning, and emerged as a way to keep minorities out of white neighborhoods. Single-family zoning both increases the cost of housing units and decreases the supply. During the 20th century, many advanced European and North American cities introduced restrictions on dense forms of housing, subsidizing single-family housing. In many United States cities, 75% of land zoned for residential uses is zoned single-family. Amid worsening housing crises in many cities, YIMBY movements and urbanists have become increasingly potent political forces, pushing for upzoning of areas exclusively preserved for single-family housing. Beginning in the late 2010's, many cities ac