The Equity Case for Upzoning Wealthy Neighborhoods

New York City has completed a series of rezoning processes focused mostly on lower-income areas in the city. Here's what it would take to upzone wealthier parts of the city, and why the city should make it happen.

2 minute read

July 29, 2020, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


New York City

stockelements / Shutterstock

Pablo Zevallos reiterates the connections between land use policy and systemic racism, noting that the fundamental tools of planning have historically achieved goals of segregation and protection of white wealth at the expense of the economic and social mobility of BIPOC. 

"Research has found that higher-income, mostly-white communities have the most restrictive land regulations, which limit the size and type of housing that can be built. Constraining supply – that is, by limiting how much, if any, multifamily housing can be built - drives up prices, thereby heightening racial and income segregation," explains Zevallos.

To counteract the poor racial and economic outcomes of the planning and zoning status quo, Zevallos presents the case for upzoning in wealthy, mostly white neighborhoods. Even New York City, the poster child for density in the United States, has spent recent decades upzoning neighborhoods populated by low-income people of color, while downzoning mostly white, wealthier neighborhoods. The status quo narrowly survived a challenge in the courts this month.

Zevallos even identifies the suggested tools for the job. First, there's the city's mandatory inclusionary housing policy. According to Zevallos, "applying mandatory inclusionary housing in wealthy, majority-white neighborhoods facilitates reaping the benefits of integration, of which there are many."

The other idea is for the city to modify the city's community preference policy. 

The concept behind the policy sounds simple: residents of the community district – that is, the boundaries of the neighborhoods a given community board serves – get 50% of the affordable housing built within said community district. However, given the intense residential segregation between neighborhoods, this policy also codifies segregation, and it stacks the odds against a resident applying for affordable housing outside of their own neighborhood.

As noted by Zevallos, Open New York, a volunteer group working to change the city’s zoning laws to allow for more housing, has already drawn up a rezoning plan that would enable the construction of 700 affordable units in SoHo and NoHo, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city. Other elected officials have plans to require inclusionary housing in any new development in the city, according to Zevallos.

Thursday, July 23, 2020 in City and State New York

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Brick school building with mid-sized tree on front lawn.

Alabama School Forestry Initiative Brings Trees to Schoolyards

Trees can improve physical and mental health for students and commnity members.

30 minutes ago - Governing

Row of outdoor dining kiosks in New York City during Covid-19 in winter. Kiosks are enclosed with plastc or plexiglass.

NYC Outdoor Dining Could Get a Re-Do

The city council is considering making the al fresco dining program year-round to address cost concerns from small businesses.

1 hour ago - StreetsBlog NYC

Millbrae BART station.

HSR Reaches Key Settlement in Northern California City

The state’s high-speed rail authority reached an agreement with Millbrae, a key city on the train’s proposed route to San Francisco.

April 24 - San Diego Post