Oak Park’s DEI office hosted calmest conversation on zoning so far 

The village government’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion facilitated a panel discussion on the history of local zoning on Monday, Sept. 28, to give context around the proposed changes to single-family zoning.  

“Our hope was to create a space to better understand how decisions have been made over time that have shaped Oak Park, and to give us some additional context as we think about the choices that face us today,” said Kellye Keyes, the village’s DEI chief, at the meeting. “I hope tonight helped us see that zoning is not only about building blocks or regulations; it’s also about people, neighborhoods, access, opportunity and the kind of community we’re continuing to build together.” 

Meetings and public information sessions focused on this topic have notoriously been tense with sometimes heated interactions, however, this event remained calm, mainly focusing on informational aspects. Local and national experts answered questions about the origins of zoning and the underlying systemic uses outside of just urban planning such as the racism, classism, sexism and ageism.  

David Silverman, one of the panelists, began with a presentation on the history of zoning as a national tool based on a presentation he gave at the National Planning Conference earlier this year which he called “somewhat disappointingly agnostic.”  

“Zoning history has two sides. It was created partly to solve genuine public health and safety problems. It also eventually became a tool capable of excluding people and limiting housing,” said Silverman. “Both parts of the history matter.” 

Daniel Lauber and John Duffy were also panelists bringing decades of local experience and historical knowledge.  

Duffy is a longtime Oak Park resident, education advocate and local historian who wrote a 12-part series on the village’s housing history published recently in Wednesday Journal.  

Lauber is a longtime River Forest resident, land-use attorney and city planner who researched and wrote the award-winning Oak Park Comprehensive Plan 1979. 

There was also a brief appearance from Dr. Michael Sorrell, the longest serving president of Paul Quinn College and one of Fortune magazine’s 50 greatest leaders.  

“As you go forward, trying to figure out what the next iteration of the community looks like and how zoning is going to play a role in that, I think what we have to make peace with is that all of this is going to change,” said Sorrell.  

The panelists at the meeting covered over a 100 years of zoning history filled with nuance and additional context in just a couple of hours. Here are pieces of work or other educational resources derived from the work of the panelists which encompass what was discussed: