The Zoning Map and American City Form

Authors

Steven Thomas Moga, Smith CollegeFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-30-2016

Publication Title

Journal of Planning Education and Research

Abstract

This paper investigates a common mode of visual communication in planning practice, the use of maps to regulate urban development. Holding equal legal status with the text, the zoning map was invented in the early twentieth century as a tool for implementing municipal policy and, although debated, modified, and sometimes repurposed over the past nine decades, it remains standard. Mundane and largely taken for granted, the zoning map itself has aroused little scholarly interest. However, as an image of the city and as a graphic intermediary used in administrative processes, it reveals how planning thought is embedded in planning tools.

Keywords

maps, planning communication, planning history, urban form, zoning

Volume

37

Issue

3

First Page

271

Last Page

285

DOI

10.1177/0739456X16654277

Rights

© The Author(s) 2016

Comments

Archived as published. Open access paper.

Recommended Citation

Moga, Steven Thomas, "The Zoning Map and American City Form" (2016). Landscape Studies: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/lss_facpubs/3