Excluded: How Snob Zoning, NIMBYism, and Class Bias Build the Walls We Don’t See

Kahlenberg (coauthor, A Smarter Charter), a researcher on education and housing policy, argues in this comprehensive study that “state-sponsored economic discrimination” has replaced racial discrimination as the main contributor to residential segregation in America. According to Kahlenberg, when affluent, often liberal communities prohibit accessory dwelling units, impose density restrictions, require housing to be built on large lots, set onerous parking requirements, and impose other “exclusionary zoning” regulations, they help maintain racial segregation and prevent lower-income families from moving into neighborhoods with good schools and into cities with employment opportunities. To remedy the problem, Kahlenberg advocates for the Economic Fair Housing Act, which would make it “illegal for government zoning to discriminate on the basis of income”; calls on the federal government to commit more money to subsidizing the construction of affordable housing; and draws hope from successful efforts in California, Oregon, and Charlotte, N.C., to replace single-family zoning with zoning that allows for multifamily housing units. Kahlenberg persuasively addresses concerns from both the right and the left, and stuffs the book with an abundance of research. It’s a valuable guide to fixing one of America’s most enduring social ills. Agent: Lisa Adams, Garamond. (July)