Equity in Land Use

A foundation of the Our Missoula project is an analysis of equity in land use to identify how our current codes and policies fall short in supporting social equity goals and addressing community needs. Understanding where Missoula has been in the past and where it is today is important when determining where it wants to be in the future.

In 2019, the City adopted a citywide housing policy, A Place to Call Home: Meeting Missoula’s Housing Needs, which called for the City to evaluate equity issues associated with land use codes and policies. Since 2021, the City has committed to addressing issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in all of its policies through the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) resolution. The JEDI Resolution calls for the implementation of an “Equity Lens” in all city projects, based on the idea that policies that are designed to address disparities for one group can improve outcomes for all groups. The JEDI Resolution defines equity as “the full and equal access to opportunities, power, and resources so that all people achieve their full potential and thrive.”

There are four key findings of inequities in Missoula’s zoning and land use regulations today:

1. A high share of land is reserved for low density, exclusive single-dwelling housing that is unaffordable to all but the most affluent households.
2. A very small share of land allows housing at density levels high enough to deliver housing affordable to middle- and lower-income households.
3. This spatial distribution of zone districts has contributed to, and perpetuates, segregation along lines of class and race and exclusion of lower income households from neighborhoods with high economic and educational opportunity.
4. This spatial distribution of zone districts has also concentrated lower income households in the same neighborhoods where new development activity is concentrated, contributing to a higher risk of gentrification and displacement of lower income households in those neighborhoods.

Recommendations for effectively advancing equity through land use policy and regulations to explore in future phases of the project include: distributing opportunities for affordable housing types broadly throughout the city; enabling density levels that open up the possibility for smaller, more affordable units; avoiding concentrated upzoning in vulnerable neighborhoods; providing zoning incentives for income-restricted affordable housing; focusing regulations more on the form of buildings, less on the number of units in the building; and designing reforms that increase opportunities for adding amenities and services within a walkable distance of all households.

Watch the videos below to learn more about how land use regulations impact equity within our community. Share your thoughts and experiences using the comment boxes below each video.

Click here to read the full report:

Click here to read the Executive Summary: