A Intro To International Zoning Differences

Zoning has been a defining factor in the way American cities have been shaped up today. However, internationally many countries often have different styles of zoning codes which can drastically differentiate the everyday lives of people in these places. Today, we are going to look into the similarities and differences that many countries have with the United States in terms of zoning codes.

First, let's recap a bit about zoning in the United States. To begin the most common zoning codes were residential, commercial, industrial, mixed-use, or special zoning. These basic zones can be altered slightly in order to add more density or expectations. To learn more about American zoning, look at the previous blog.

To begin, zoning isn’t a one-size fits all system. Many nations have different ways of defining zoning. Cities with historic upbringings have streets and buildings positioned in ways that may seem unconventional to today’s building styles. Along with this, many nations have zoning codes that might seem very different from the United States.

One example of these differences in zoning styles and policies can be observed in Japan. In Japan, the zoning system is set to be the same across the nation, unlike how America has varying zoning codes from city to city. Along with that, the system in use there also allows for more flexible and mixed-use zones, whereas in the United States, zoning areas tend to have more clear-cut differences.

Another example of international zoning and policy differences can be seen when comparing the EU to the USA. Similar to Japan, Europe also tends to favor more fluid, mixed-use zoning. To add, Europe also tends to have zoning policies that encourage more density and public transit, whereas the United States seems to have more car-centric zoning policies.

A third perspective to look at these zoning differences could be to compare Japan and the EU. Despite differing from the USA in similar ways, Japan and the EU also are very different. For example, most projects in the EU might require more case-by-case approvals. However, if your project fits the rules in Japan, you could construct without worrying too much about local approval. Another difference is the reason for different height restrictions in areas. In most of Japan, height restrictions in zones are based on sunlight and shadows, whereas European zoning normally uses height restrictions to maintain historical and aesthetic features in a neighborhood. 

To conclude, the practice in zoning throughout the world has many differences throughout regions and hence, leads to diversity throughout our urban landscapes. Similarly populated areas can be vastly different based on these differences in zoning laws that govern the development of the region. In our unique planet, there are many different styles of zoning and city development policies that were not mentioned in this post. If you wish to learn more about this topic, you can go to centreforcities.com or go to different region government pages to see their zoning plans.