“Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It” by M. Nolan Gray

This is a book club that is meant to get “into the weeds” on topics of interest to our community. We read thought-provoking books then meet each month for 4 months per book, to discuss the themes and examine how they might be applied to ideas and actions for the City of Sheboygan. The book is available to borrow from the library or purchase from Green Bicycle Co.

Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It by M. Nolan Gray

With lively explanations and stories, Gray shows why zoning abolition is a necessary—if not sufficient—condition for building more affordable, vibrant, equitable, and sustainable cities. The arbitrary lines of zoning maps across the country have come to dictate where Americans may live and work, forcing cities into a pattern of growth that is segregated and sprawling. Gray lays the groundwork for this ambitious cause by clearing up common confusions and myths about how American cities regulate growth and examining the major contemporary critiques of zoning. Gray sets out some of the efforts currently underway to reform zoning and charts how land-use regulation might work in the post-zoning American city.

• September 12, 2024, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, The Loft

• October 10, 2024, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, The Loft

• November 14, 2024, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, The Loft

• December 12, 2024, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, The Loft