National Zoning Atlas: Local codes choke denser, more affordable housing and, by extension, better-planned and more accessible communities.
Metro Atlanta residents said in a recent survey that their top pressing concerns in the region are housing affordability and traffic. Zoning reform would help, the guest column authors write. (On I-85, from Jan. 26, 2026 / Ben Hendren for the AJC)
By Scott Markley and Sara Bronin – For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
3 hours ago
A recent Atlanta Regional Commission survey asked metro Atlanta residents to name the biggest problem facing the region.
Two responses dominated: housing affordability and traffic.
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Development pattern due to zoning rules has consequences
Scott Markley, an Atlanta resident, is research director of the National Zoning Atlas and lecturer at Georgia Tech. (Courtesy)
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Elected officials across the region must coordinate action
Sara C. Bronin is the founder of the National Zoning Atlas, George Washington University law professor, and author of Key to the City: How Zoning Shapes Our World. (Courtesy)
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