Zoning and land-use policies have played a central role in exacerbating racial economic and housing disparities. Although explicit race-based zoning was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1917, racist land-use and zoning policies continued in DC through redlining, racial covenants, apartment bans and large-lot minimums, and exclusionary single-family zoning. Now, federal, state, and local decisionmakers, like you, have increasingly turned their attention toward zoning reform in attempts to both rectify historically exclusionary codes and address a severe housing shortage.

Noble's testimony (given under a previous  name) outlines evidence and examples for three key considerations for the Zoning Commission while finalizing this data equity tool: (1) the importance of using data to target historically exclusionary neighborhoods for zoning reforms and development approvals; (2) how to account for a lack of equitable representation in zoning decisionmaking; and (3) tools and considerations to ensure racially equitable benefits at the individual, development, and neighborhood levels from zoning reforms and development.