And in two recent court decisions on such zoning laws, we can see how this logic additionally seems to discriminate against low-income minorities even to this day.ДЇirst, letвЂ™s review the broad data. Many suburban governments in fact zone to curtail the kinds of tallish buildings and retail mix that tend to line vibrant, walkable main streets.

Young families are settling in the suburbs for sure, but the housing stock they have to choose from often forces the choice: itвЂ™s either take fewer bedrooms, or live a lot farther from anything resembling a downtown. In daily life for more families, the scales of where it makes the most sense to live are tipping once again to the cul-de-sac.ДЄre these decisions matching buyersвЂ™ goals, though? Do AmericaвЂ™s working young couples-slightly grayer versions of the young adults who eschewed buying cars and flocked to walkable neighborhoods in the wake of the recession-actually want to raise their kids in communities that require them to drive everywhere? ThatвЂ™s less clear. Or, itвЂ™s public school struggles that drive parents of young children to the вЂburbs. The motive can come down to simple arithmetic: cities with soaring housing costs are becoming increasingly untenable for families of four or more. More Millennial couples are buying in the suburbs to raise their kids, as pulse-takers like The New York Times have noted. So it goes with the kinds of homes Americans buy when they start families.

Raise your hand again if you believe Whole Foods or your local grocer stocks dried fruit strips near checkout because its leaders believe they are an ideal grab-and-go snack for a broad range of citizens, and not because they lure a narrow and reliably spendy demographic. Now keep your hand raised if you consider dried fruit strips optimal eating.ДЄnyone? OK, one last question. Raise your hand if, like me, you bought more dried fruit strips in the years after you became a parent, grandparent, or caregiver.

Does zoning keep suburbs unwalkable