Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Role of Health in Shaping Zoning Policy Decisions

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

This study examines the political, legal, and pragmatic considerations in addressing health issues via zoning policy. The investigators aim to address 1) whether, how, and in what contexts the language, mapping, and process of zoning can address contemporary health concerns; 2) the role health considerations play in zoning policy makers' decisions; and 3) the consequences of efforts to include provisions that address health in a comprehensive zoning rewrite . These aims will be addressed through an ethnographic case study of TransForm Baltimore, the City's first comprehensive zoning rewrite since 1971. Interviews will be conducted with developers, local decision makers, and experts on land use policy and law, environmental justice, and healthy city design. The project will also include an examination of comparable zoning issues in New Zealand to serve as a point of comparison. While research has shown that the built environment influences health outcomes, little discussion addresses how those involved in shaping land use policy understand the connection between land use and health. Given that the original purpose of zoning was to promote "health, security, morals or general welfare," scant data exist on whether and why "promoting health" functions as a guiding principle. This research aims to understand the inner workings of the rezoning process, whether zoning is viewed as a means to address social problems, how stakeholders respond to proposed health-promoting measures, and if tools or processes can be developed to ensure that zoning decisions address health concerns wisely and fairly. Contributing to discussions of the relative influence of governance, innovation and power when changing urban settings, particularly those that face shrinking population levels and sizable health disparities is a central goal of this work. Finally, this study intends to produce considerations for what an equitable use of zoning as a police power might entail and address the limitations of employing a regulatory process like zoning to combat the complex factors that create health disparities.