DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qjq2bvqsm
title: Logistics of zoning, zoning for logistics: Toward healthy and equitable development for urban freight

description: Problem, research strategy, and findings: Warehousing and distribution
 center (W&D) expansion has raised concerns about disparate,
 adverse health effects from urban freight. While local governments wield
 several tools to manage logistics-related development, few may be as
 consequential to public health disparities as zoning. This study
 synthesizes the state of recent U.S. zoning actions toward W&D,
 particularly as a tool (or barrier) for protecting public health in areas
 historically burdened by freight traffic. Specifically, we investigate 92
 zoning actions at 67 locations (51 municipalities, 9 counties, and 7
 states) and assess the level at which Environmental Justice (EJ)
 principles inform these actions. We analyze 213 public documents including
 ordinance texts, council meeting transcripts, zoning codes, plans, and
 developer/advocacy websites. Despite the recent attention toward
 W&D at the state-level, most local actions are discretionary
 (n=32). While we offer examples of councils contending with EJ issues,
 discretionary processes have drawbacks. Other jurisdictions revisit
 long-term plans (n=17), land use definitions (n=13), development standards
 (n=13), and conditional use permitting (n=12). However, many regulations
 restrict by-right W&D development with little indication that
 these changes are intended to benefit historically burdened
 communities.  Takeaway for practice: Local jurisdictions lack a
 unified regulatory approach to W&D. However, long-term plans and
 state environmental policies guide jurisdictions with the most EJ-explicit
 actions. Equitable and healthy urban freight requires clear strategic land
 use priorities and environmental safe-guards for vulnerable populations.
 We discuss how these findings fit into contemporary debates surrounding
 zoning and urban freight planning.
description: # Logistics of zoning, zoning for logistics: Toward healthy and equitable
 development for urban freight Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qjq2bvqsm
 Description of the data and file structure This spreadsheet (Summary.xlsx)
 summarizes the structural coding of the data analyzed in the paper, as
 well as URLs to all documents analyzed. ### Files and variables File:
 Summary.xlsx #### Description:  ###### Summary (sheet) Variables * Name:
 Jurisdiction name * State: State * CDP?: Census Designated Place? Relevant
 analysis includes "Yes" and "Other" only
 ("Other" signifies County or State * Jurisdiction: City, County,
 State * Policy type 1 (structural coding): Denials/moratoriums,
 Conditional use permitting requirements, Development Standards, Land use
 definition, Proactive Planning (i.e., Long-term Planning), Other (state
 policy, typically)  * Status: Approved, Proposed (pending or denied),
 Model Ordinance/guidelines  * Project development type (if relevant) 1:
 Greenfield, Adaptive Reuse, Brownfield, Eminent Domain, Flex / mixed-use,
 Micro / last-mile, Rezone, Other (only for permit denials, all other
 values are Blank) * Year passed/proposed: Year passed/proposed * Mentions
 EJ principles?: Descriptive mention of disparate impact, anti-exclusionary
 zoning (e.g., permitting W&D in retail zones), and enhanced
 participatory procedures. ###### sources (sheet): Links to all data
 analyzed Variables * Name: Jurisdiction name * State: State * Documents
 Reviewed: Type of document reviewed, separated by ";" * Plain
 Text: URL to document, with columns ordered numerically by the order
 listed in the Documents Reviewed column (i.e., first document in Document
 Reviewed corresponds to the URL in Plain Text 1). ### Data was derived
 from the following sources: Links to source documents under the Sources
 tab