Zoning 101: What Is It and How Does It Shape Our City?

The main purpose of this walk is to get people to be familiar with the basic concepts of zoning by-laws to instill a better understanding of why our city is built the way that it is. Why are houses situated on lots the way they are? Why do certain buildings come right up to the sidewalk while others do not? What could be built here and what couldn't? What about parking? What about alleyways? Why does any of this matter? Along with many other questions about how zoning defines our urban, suburban, (and all other) environments.

Beyond this, we will explore how these differences make us feel and why we need to advocate for zoning reforms. With the complexity of many converging issues such as houselessness, climate change, the housing crisis, general affordability, and mental health, we need to have a better understanding of the root causes of these issues to help address them in a myriad of different ways. How our city is built, what is allowed to be built, and where things are allowed to be built, directly influences these issues.