Zoning laws in the United States no longer allow for dense rowhomes and townhouses in cities like Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City. Historic neighborhoods in St. Louis like Soulard or Lafayette Square would never be allowed to be built within the past century. New zoning maps outlaw dense city housing in favor of single family homes, enhancing urban sprawl, which is bad for wildlife in the forests. An apartment in a townhouse like in Tower Grove South is much cheaper than a single family house. St. Louis is one of the cheapest cities in America because the majority of housing in the city limits is comprised of townhouses and apartment buildings. Zoning laws in America don’t allow for this denser style of housing, which can drive housing prices up and increase homelessness in city centers.
For the majority of the cities history, St. Louis has been full of dense housing, sometimes to its detriment. In 1849, St. Louis had a cholera outbreak totalling nearly 5000 deaths. (1) Even in at the time suburbs, the housing was built for multiple families. Modern day population density maps also show very high density in the core neighborhoods, even after the cities decline.
In America, this denser style of housing is not allowed to be built, in favor of single family suburbs. The modern suburb was designed by William J. Levitt, (2) and his design has been used over and over again in America. The first suburb was named Levittown, designed by William J. Levitt and his two sons in 1947 in Nassau County in Long Island(IMG1, IMG2)
Even in St. Louis, in areas developed mainly after WWII, single family suburban style developments are common. The reason roughly half of the city was devoloped in this style is thanks to zoning laws. Zoning laws determine what style of housing can be built on the land (IMG3). I have revized the St. Louis zoning map to allow for denser, mixed used housing (IMG4). In theory, the new zoning map will increase walkability and introduce new reasons to walk. Walking just 30 minutes a day has been proven to have various mental and physical health benefits.
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