Ohio cities part of Brookings study on local land-use & zoning laws
Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati among 50 largest metro areas studied (8-18-06)

The Brookings Institution has released a survey of local land-use and zoning laws with an eye toward how they affect development patterns in America's 50 largest metropolitan areas. The statistical areas studied include Columbus, Cleveland-Akron and Cincinnati-Hamilton, which includes parts of Kentucky and Indiana.

The descriptions of Ohio's metro areas are in some cases dated and narrow in scope, based on which local governments responded to requests for information. Nonetheless, the inescapable conclusion is that Ohio's state policies on planning and zoning contribute significantly to patterns of sprawl in the three metro areas. In Ohio comprehensive plans are not mandatory as they are in many other states, and even where they do exist, local zoning takes precedence over the plan.

The Brookings study reviews the zoning and planning powers enabled by state law, as well as what kinds of zoning cities, suburbs and townships have enacted in each of the 50 metro areas. It then presents and analyzes data on population, income, housing cost and other factors to determine how zoning affects development patterns and equitable and affordable housing opportunities in each region.

Greater Ohio carries more information on the Ohio findings in the Brookings study and related stories — Land-use and zoning patterns in Ohio's largest metro areas — or go to Review of Land-Use Regs to read the study in full.