In the Zone
Prince Georges County, Maryland is in the process of revising their zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations, and are inviting County residents to provide input on the draft document before it is finalized by the County Council next summer. Details about that process can be found here.
Zoning has important public policy implications, including its potential impact on the health of everyone who lives, works, or travels through the county. Zoning ordinances determine land use, that is who is allowed to build what, and where, and how close to each other, and how high. It also determines which sections of a particular jurisdiction will be residential, or commercial, or industrial. And how close the industrial will be to the residential, and what recourse citizens will have if the built environment impacts their living standards.
Consider the potential health impact - neighborhoods can be built on the wrong side of a busy highway, so that walking or biking can become an unsafe activity.
Noxious fumes from an industrial waste site or a highway exit can adversely impact the air quality of the neighborhoods located in closest proximity. Such a situation arose in Prince George’s in the recent past. Details here.
Schools, parks, grocery stores, or hospitals can be located so far away from neighborhoods as to require motorized transport to reach them.
Walkable neighborhoods, on the other hand, can be designed and built to increase the likelihood of walking for exercise, as well as to improve air quality.
There is a growing body of research about the effect of zoning on health, and a few jurisdictions have revised their zoning laws and ordinances in the recent past to reflect current thinking. Health Impact Assessments, for example, have been lauded by some as a mechanism for gauging health impact before the zoning process is complete. Results have been mixed.
Healthy Homes and Healthier People, an HPRC publication, highlighted some of the issues related to zoning and health, such as: crime prevention; the interaction (or lack thereof) between urban planners and public health professionals; and the disproportionate burden of environmental injustice borne by low income and racial and ethnic populations.
Zoning can contribute to individual and community access (notably prices) to fresh foods and safe recreational spaces, which in turn could potentially impact the prevalence of obesity (the evidence remains less than compelling). Obesity remains a key public health challenge for Prince George’s. As with the obesity challenge in the county, African American and low-income residents also suffer from asthma that is associated with previously noted environmental factors.
The County has invited public input into their zoning rewrite process. It is the first time they’ve done such a revision in about 50 years. The larger objective for the county is to ensure growth and development that are consistent with their long term goals (Plan 2035). Our views on the early stages of the process can be found here. For more about listening sessions and where to submit written comments, click here. For the draft document, click here and here.
Important dates:
October 24th: Listening Session - Fort Washington
October 25th: Focus Group - Upper Marlboro
October 25th: Listening Session - Laurel
October 26th: Listening Session - Landover.