Modern Family: Zoning and the Non-Nuclear Living Arrangement
Zoning Practice — May 2020
By Brian Connolly, David Brewster
Not a member but want to buy a copy? You'll need to create a free My APA account to purchase.
Create account
Many zoning codes define the term "family" — as used in the terms single-family or multifamily dwelling — as a group of people related by blood, marriage, or adoption, or up to a certain number who are unrelated. However, while aimed at establishing stable neighborhoods, historical definitions of "family" contained in zoning codes have regularly excluded a wide variety of groups. Unaffordable housing has pushed families to live with extended family members, groups of unrelated roommates to cohabitate, and home seekers to find smaller, more efficient forms of housing. At the same time, contemporary treatment methods for disabilities has resulted in increased demand for group living arrangements.
This edition of Zoning Practice examines the changing face of the modern American family, evaluates existing law as it pertains to regulation of household structure, and offers suggestions for how zoning might be tweaked to respond to many of the changing norms of American family and household life.
Details
About the Authors
Brian Connolly
Brian J. Connolly is an Assistant Professor of Business Law at the University of Michigan. His research and teaching centers in real estate, land use, and development law. His primary research interests include issues of public and private regulation of land use and their relationship to housing affordability and urban redevelopment. Before entering academia, Connolly spent over a decade in private law practice where he represented public- and private-sector clients in zoning, land use, litigation and real estate matters. Before his legal career, Connolly worked as an urban planner in local government.
David Brewster