ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the obvious as well as the more subtle reasons why American zoning has been so strongly attached to the concept of the exclusive single-family district. It examines the rationales developed to justify the exclusion of building types other than one-unit dwellings from single-family zones. The chapter argues that the practice of exclusion is on the verge of changing because the legitimacy of its underlying rationale is open to question. It discusses some of the environmental problems associated with accessory apartments, particularly parking and visual impacts. Under traditional zoning, a community was divided into five districts—single-family, two-family, multiple-family, business and industrial. The novel feature of zoning, in contrast to building codes, has been the establishment by government of different districts for different kinds of buildings. The purpose of the single-family district as a use-control is to promote and protect a family life-style and to encourage home ownership.
