Symposium

Sharing a House but Not a Household: Extended Families and Exclusionary Zoning Forty Years After Moore

By Solangel Maldonado
April 28, 2017

Introduction

This Article proceeds in three parts. Part I briefly recounts the evolution of zoning laws and their effect on racial minorities. Next, Part II demonstrates how single-family zoning laws disproportionately exclude racial minorities from the most desirable blocks. Part II also examines how these laws economically and socially disadvantage minorities and hinder efforts to integrate neighborhoods and schools. Then, Part III uses Moore to explore potential solutions and concludes that, at minimum, zoning laws cannot exclude two-family homes that are occupied by extended family members. It also shows how Moore may support a more inclusionary approach to zoning.