Fall-Winter 1980, Vol 5, No 2

Abstract: A great deal of land in American cities has been over-zoned to encourage growth. In recent years, many cities have rezoned large areas from a higher to a lower classification in response to citizen demands and planning considerations. The legal foundations of zoning and recent decisions regarding such “downzoning” are explored in this article, which examines the changing nature of cities, the issues typically raised in downzoning cases, the relationship between zoning and planning, and the broad question of vested rights.