Program
Center for Zoning Solutions
The Center for Zoning Solutions is our home for the zoning reform movement. We share research and reports, lead federal advocacy efforts, and support communities across the country to tackle barriers to smart growth and advance policies to encourage mixed-use development and diverse housing options.
Community zoning stories
Zoning shapes nearly every aspect of daily life in both visible and invisible ways. By working alongside communities through our technical assistance programs, we’re able to better understand their experiences on the ground—and highlight local examples of how communities are navigating zoning challenges, advancing community-driven solutions, and connecting land-use decisions to healthier, more well-connected communities.
Zoning for Equitable Solutions and Thriving Communities (ZEST)
Throughout the fall and winter of 2025, Smart Growth America’s Center for Zoning Solutions supported 19 community-based organizations (CBOs) across the country through the Zoning for Equitable Solutions and Thriving Communities (ZEST) program. Together, they strengthened each organization’s ability to connect land use and health outcomes, identify zoning barriers, and translate complex policies into practical, community-driven strategies.
ZEST case studies
Tulsa, OK: Helping to streamline housing development
Implementing smart growth—making communities more walkable and places where people can live, work, and play—can take years to materialize. It takes trust-building, thoughtful analysis, and champions both inside and outside government before meaningful change can take place. Our work in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a clear example of why that long view matters.
