Climate Protection Zones (CPZs) & Equitable Areas (EAs)

Chapel Hill proposes new planning tools

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA | After losing political power to a pro-housing faction in the last election, Chapel Hill’s progressive community re-upped its long-standing commitment to make the world better by introducing two new planning mechanisms: Climate Protection Zones (CPZs) and Equitable Areas (EAs).

Climate Protection Zones (CPZs):

The core tenant of the Climate Protection Zones is the re-establishment of single-family-only zoning.

Environmental Advocate and Non-Profit Board Member Gerald Smith authored a new proposal for Climate Protection Zones (CPZs).

“Statistically,” he argued, “single-family homes have fewer people per acre, right? And since the science shows that each home has 2.2 people, and each person emits 20 tons of carbon per year, then the sustainable thing is just to allow fewer homes. Single-family-only zoning accomplishes this important environmental goal. That’s why single-family-only zoning is the cornerstone of Chapel Hill’s new Climate Protection Zone.”

“By eliminating multi-family housing and density on sustainability grounds,” said Smith, “we can rightly claim that our city has lowered its environmental footprint, and the CPZ confirms that we have done our part to save the planet.”

In framing the argument, the Duke Professor argued that the appropriate solution was to demolish 50% of Chapel Hill’s homes and return the historic districts to forest land. While that was seen as excessive, a group of homeowners reasoned that the next best thing was to keep the neighborhood exactly as it was by prohibiting any new housing.

They voted on it, and the action was declared good.

Equitable Areas (EAs)

Equitable Areas will have a 2-acre minimum lot size.