Evan Roberts Assistant Professor, History of Medicine, University of Minnesota

Segregation in American cities has received significant attention from demographers particularly changing neighborhood demographics. Until recently though demographers have paid little attention to how cities shaped municipal population composition through land use regulations, or "zoning" that sets limits on how much housing can be built. Using Minneapolis as an example we show how zoning regulations interacted with the city's changing racial composition. Our presentation highlights two contrasting aspects of Minneapolis' zoning and population history. First, significant areas of the city retain essentially the same zoning code as the city's initial 1924 zoning ordinance. Second, we show how the city's ambitious plans for innercity housing growth after 1960 were reshaped by a popular backlash that reduced housing capacity in South Minneapolis more than in North Minneapolis. As the black population of Minneapolis grew significantly from the 1980s, these housing policies contributed to growing diversity without significant change in segregation.

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