Thread: 1/ Since RNC brought up the issue of single-family zoning, I thought it would be useful to have a quick refresher. First, some history: after race-based zoning was outlawed in 1917, cities wrote zoning codes that in practice kept Black residents from single-family areas.

2/ Meanwhile, Black areas like Brooklyn were zoned for industrial uses. As historian  @historysouth notes in his book, that made it easier for city leaders to demolish Brooklyn during urban renewal.

3/ These zoning categories still largely shape segregation in Charlotte and other cities today. Just look at these maps from the city of Charlotte, which show the zoning categories side-by-side with the racial breakdown of the city.

4/ One critical point: eliminating single-family zoning would NOT outlaw building single-family homes. Instead, it allows developers to build a mix of housing types, which is seen as a key way to add more affordable options to often expensive suburban areas.

You can read more about Charlotte's consideration of eliminating single-family zoning here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/development/article228594739.html