Zoning for the Dead
Zoning Practice — June 2024
By Carlton Basmajian, Christopher Coutts
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For most planners, the death care industry in the U.S. is an unknown entity (Basmajian and Coutts 2010). A seemingly out of the way corner of the economy that does not often make headlines, it rarely factors into planning discussions. Yet the industry, and its footprint, is vast.
With a total valuation in 2022 of $40 billion, wide real estate holdings, and a quiet presence in the life of almost every household in the country, death care is, at this point, more than an economic sector (Business Wire 2023). It is a major institution in American life. It is also facing significant changes. The coming upheaval will impact planning, likely in ways that have not been considered. These changes potentially represent another high-water moment, not unlike the early 19th century, when the move to create new public cemeteries helped transform communities across the country (Sloane 1991).
This issue of Zoning Practice explores the relationship between death care and local zoning. It begins with an overview of the evolving death care industry before analyzing how communities define and regulate various death care uses through local zoning and other related codes.
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About the Authors
Carlton Basmajian
Christopher Coutts
<p>Dr. Coutts is a Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida State University (FSU). He is also a faculty member of the Masters of Public Health program and a Research Affiliate with the Center for Demography and Population Health at FSU. He received undergraduate and master’s degrees in Public Health from New Mexico State University and a PhD in Urban, Technological, and Environmental Planning from the University of Michigan. Dr. Coutts’s research examines the influence of ecologically-sensitive land use practices on community health and health behavior. The thrust of his ecological planning research explores how the natural environment supports the ecosystem services essential to human health and well-being. This research was inspired by his time as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi. In 2019, he returned to Malawi as a US Fulbright Scholar to teach at Mzuzu University and perform research on the critical role of nature conservation on healthy sustainable development in the remote Misuku Hills. His work has appeared in outlets such as The New York Times, US News and World Report, Forbes, and The Atlantic.</p>