Low-Density Zoning and Health Disparities in Metro Areas

Area of Science:

• Urban planning and public health
• Environmental health and social determinants of health

Background:

• Low-density zoning, a prevalent US policy, restricts housing development.
• This policy may exacerbate urban sprawl, limit affordable housing, and increase segregation.
• Conceptual models suggest low-density zoning could widen health disparities, but empirical evidence is scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between low-density zoning and health outcomes.
• To examine how low-density zoning influences health disparities across different racial, ethnic, and income groups.
• To provide empirical data on the health impacts of restrictive zoning policies.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Longitudinal Land Use Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Selected Metropolitan/Micropolitan Area Risk Trends.
• Analyzed data from 87,752 individuals across 44 large US metropolitan areas.
• Correlated the proportion of low-density zoning jurisdictions with self-assessed health and obesity disparities.

Main Results:

• Metro areas with more low-density zoning exhibited wider disparities in poor self-assessed health by race, ethnicity, and income.
• Suggestive evidence indicated narrower race disparities in obesity in areas with more low-density zoning.
• The findings highlight a complex relationship between zoning and health inequities.

Conclusions:

• Restrictive low-density zoning is associated with increased health disparities in self-assessed health.
• The impact of low-density zoning on health disparities may vary by specific health outcome.
• Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms linking zoning policies to health outcomes.