Addressing Community Concerns: How Environmental Justice Relates to Land Use Planning and Zoning

This report is the third in a series of studies on environmental justice conducted by the Academy for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ). It builds on the Academy’s two prior studies, Environmental Justice in EPA Permitting: Reducing Pollution in High-Risk Communities (December 2001) and Models for Change: Efforts by Four States to Address Environmental Justice (June 2002).

This study examines the land use planning and zoning laws, policies, and practices of local governments in California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Louisiana to determine how they may relate to environmental justice issues.

This third study was designed to help the public understand how land use planning and zoning relate to environmental justice, both in terms of resolving current issues and preventing future problems. It also highlights opportunities for engaging the public in the local planning and zoning decisions that affect their communities.