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Architecture vocabulary · Urban Planning and Design

Zoning

Meaning in architecture, with examples

/ˈzoʊnɪŋ/nounCommon term

In architecture, zoning means: The system of dividing a city into areas where only certain uses, such as housing, offices or industry, and certain building sizes are allowed.

In Turkish: imar, bölgeleme, imar düzenlemesi

How it is used

Mostly American. Zoning laws, maps and codes set height, density and setbacks; a site is 'zoned for' a use, and owners may apply for rezoning. In Britain the similar system is usually called planning or land-use planning.

Example sentences

  1. Under the current zoning the site is for housing only, so we can't put offices on the ground floor without approval.

  2. Local zoning rules limit the building to 18 metres in height.

Common collocations

  • zoning regulations
  • zoned for residential use
  • zoning map
  • rezoning
  • master planA long-term plan for developing a large area, such as a campus, neighbourhood or city district, showing land uses, buildings, streets, open spaces and phases.
  • setbackThe minimum distance a building must keep from a plot boundary or street, set by planning rules; also an upper part of a building stepped back from the floor below.
  • floor area ratioThe total floor area of all storeys of a building divided by the area of its plot; a ratio of 2 means you can build twice the plot area in total.
  • mixed-useDescribing a building or area that combines different uses, such as housing, shops, offices and public facilities, instead of keeping them separate.
  • building permitOfficial permission from the local authority to build, alter or demolish a building, given after the drawings have been checked against planning rules and codes.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Urban Planning and Design

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