Zoning is the primary tool for urban regulation adopted worldwide. It consists of dividing urban territory into a series of zones, establishing permitted uses for each and setting parameters for the structures that can be built on each lot. In theory, zoning pursues two main objectives: preventing nuisances generated by specific uses and limiting development density to the capacity of existing infrastructure.
In Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It, a book released this year and not yet translated in Brazil, urban planner M. Nolan Gray argues that these objectives were never the true motivation behind zoning in his country.
