Zoning, a means of controlling the land and housing markets by dictating acceptable uses for particular parcels of land, was invented during the 1910s and spread to most American cities by the end of the 1920s. St. Paul and Minneapolis passed their first zoning ordinances
early in the 1920s. The goals of zoning were similar to those of the building permit and inspection programs: to promote public health and safety, and to preserve property values. Zoning is an effective control mechanism, but it is essentially a preventive tactic.
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