Zoning

Euclidean Zoning: How Our 'Arbitrary and Oppressive' City Planning Scheme Got Its Name

Is it named after the father of geometry or a Cleveland suburb? Both.

Christian Britschgi | From the August/September 2026 issue

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(Illustration: Midjourney)

The practice of separating homes, businesses, and factories into their own dedicated districts is called "Euclidean zoning." Given that Euclidean zoning involves the slicing and dicing of city maps into color-coded districts, you might assume it is named after Euclid, the ancient Greek "father of geometry" who laid down the rules for drawing lines and shapes on flat planes. But if you ask an urban planner, he will tell you that Euclidean zoning is actually named after a town in Ohio.

In 1922, Euclid, Ohio, passed a comprehensive zoning code........

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