Breaking the Walls: How Zoning Policy Shapes Belonging and Opportunity in America

Insights from Dr. Yoni Appelbaum on the B Student Podcast -- Why Where We Live Defines Who We Are, and What We Can Do About It

 

 

Housing: The Battleground for Belonging

On a special live episode of the B Student Podcast, host Betsy Gardner sat down with Dr. Yoni Appelbaum, historian, journalist, Deputy Executive Editor of The Atlantic magazine, and author of Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity. The conversation dove deep into America’s housing crisis, with a distinct focus on how our home addresses are more than just locations; they're central to our sense of belonging, accessibility to opportunity and the future of our communities.

 

The Historical Roots And Current Reality of Exclusion

As Dr. Appelbaum explained, the American tradition of being able to “choose your community” is a cornerstone of our national identity -- one that set us apart globally in the 19th and 20th centuries. Historically, neighborhoods like Cambridgeport just outside of Boston served as launchpads for new generations to ascend the economic ladder: as one group rose up and moved on, another took their place. This made American communities unique -- dynamic, diverse and full of opportunity.

 

But something has changed. Over the past 50 years, Americans have become less mobile than ever. The percentage of people moving to new communities has plummeted, leading to a “grinding down” of the very dynamism that fueled American prosperity and belonging. Today, even those with “perfectly good jobs,” like Appelbaum and his family, struggle to afford homes in neighborhoods that once welcomed newcomers.

 

Zoning: The Hidden Weapon of Exclusion

A central focus of their discussion was zoning -- a set of land-use laws originally devised as clever loopholes to exclude unwanted groups from desirable areas. Through illuminating stories -- from Modesto, CA’s anti-Chinese laundry ordinance to Baltimore’s explicit racial zoning and New York’s efforts to confine Jewish garment workers -- Appelbaum traced how zoning morphed into a subtle but powerful tool for segregation. You couldn’t legally pass a law excluding people by race, but you could control where laundries, apartments, garment workers or “undesirables” could exist.

 

As host Gardner pointed out, affluent communities often “hoard the assets of our special community,” making it increasingly difficult for newcomers to access opportunity, and deploying concern for “character,” “parking,” or “building height” as the language of exclusion. The result? Widening inequality, diminished economic development and less support for our businesses and community organizations, with opportunity and belonging reserved for those already inside the gates.

 

The Danger of Preserving the Past at the Expense of the Future

One of the most compelling examples discussed was Charleston, SC, a city known for its striking historic preservation. While its beautiful facades attract tourists, its approach has frozen out economic development and diversity, prioritizing an idealized vision of 1860 (the pre-Civil War era) and leaving many, particularly black residents, pushed to the margins or excluded entirely. The lesson: when communities become “embalmed,” as Appelbaum described Charleston, they may preserve their architecture but lose the essence of a living, evolving community.

 

Solutions: Building for People, Not Just Buildings

If exclusion is the problem, what’s the path forward? Appelbaum calls for a return to people-centered policy. Instead of fixating on the risks of change, communities should focus on the invisible cost of inaction: shrinking populations, loss of local businesses and churches, and the departure of young people and essential workers.

 

Key principles for more inclusive, dynamic communities include:

Embrace Modesty and Flexibility in Policy: Recognize that overly prescriptive zoning often has unintended -- and exclusionary --consequences.

Consistent, Predictable Rules: Clear and general guidelines make it easier to build quality, attainable housing while empowering local officials to balance needs.

Abundance, Not Scarcity: Encourage enough construction to genuinely bend the cost curve, making homeownership and renting accessible for all generations.

People-Centered Conversations: Shift the dialogue from “what buildings do we want?” to “who do we want as our neighbors?”

 

Where Do We Go From Here?

The solution isn’t to cast aside all zoning and preservation -- these policies have their place. But as both Gardner and Appelbaum emphasize, we must untangle the legacy of exclusion and reimagine how our policies can foster not just beautiful streetscapes, but vibrant, inclusive communities.

Only by shifting our lens -- valuing not just where people live but how and why they belong -- can we restore the American engine of opportunity for generations to come.

Want to dive deeper? Listen to the full B Student Podcast episode or grab Dr. Yoni Appelbaum’s Stuck at your favorite bookseller.