On October 21, Cornell Law School celebrated the launch of Professor Sara Bronin’s latest book, Key to the City: How Zoning Shapes Our World. The event, held in room 182 of Myron Taylor Hall, brought together leading scholars, urban planners, and members of the Cornell Law community to discuss Bronin’s work, which explores the often-overlooked impact of zoning laws on American communities.
The book highlights how zoning decisions have shaped the physical and social fabric of cities across the United States. Drawing on her extensive experience as chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission in Hartford, Connecticut, Bronin argues that zoning can be a powerful tool for fostering sustainable, equitable communities when wielded properly.
During the celebration, Bronin reflected on her motivation for writing the book, recounting a pivotal moment in Hartford when a local activist helped her see the real-world consequences of zoning decisions. Bronin said walking with that activist through a city neighborhood helped her realize that “people just don’t understand what zoning is doing— even people who have been embedded in their neighborhoods for years.” This lack of awareness, she emphasized, is what Key to the City aims to address.
The event featured comments from three distinguished panelists: Professor Yun-chien Chang of Cornell Law School; Professor Suzanne Charles from Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning; and Andrew Fine, chief of staff and policy director at Open New York. Each speaker emphasized the far-reaching impact of zoning, with Chang highlighting how zoning can promote positive change: “If in good hands, like Sara did in Hartford, you can achieve so many good things.”
Suzanne Charles offered her perspective on how zoning affects urban design, noting the “hidden force” of zoning in shaping cities, often in ways that are not immediately visible to the public. Charles praised Bronin’s work for bringing attention to these forces, stating, “Zoning codes give us the power to curate what we see, helping us more clearly articulate our cities.”
Andrew Fine focused on the book’s practical application for housing reform. He lauded Bronin’s optimistic approach and remarked on the growing national attention to zoning. Fine underscored the importance of using zoning reform to address housing shortages, stating that Bronin’s work provides a critical framework for advocates pushing for equitable housing policies.
In addition to providing a critical analysis of zoning’s role in urban sprawl and economic inequality, Key to the City offers a hopeful vision for the future. Bronin advocates for reforms that can transform zoning into a force for good. As the event concluded, Bronin told attendees: “I’m very optimistic for the future. I’m hopeful that with all of this discussion, we can actually move forward and figure out what zoning can do.”
Bronin is an associate member of the Cornell Law School faculty, professor of city and regional planning in Cornell’s College of Architecture Art & Planning, and fellow of the Cornell Atkinson Center on Sustainability.
