Important Laws and Ordinances (In Progress) Flashcards
Standard State Zoning Enabling Act
1924
- U.S. Department of Commerce / Secretary Herbert Hoover
- Advisory Committee on City Planning and Zoning
- allowed local governments to divide territory into zoning districts
- 9 sections
- zoning must be “in accordance with a comprehensive plan”
nine sections: included a grant of power, a provision that the legislative body could divide the local government’s territory into districts, a statement of purpose for the zoning regulations, and procedures for establishing and amending the zoning regulations. A legislative body was required to establish a zoning commission to advise it on the initial development of zoning regulations.
Standard City Planning Enabling Act
1928
- U.S. Department of Commerce / Secretary Herbert Hoover
- Advisory Committee on City Planning and Zoning
- Alfred Bettman influential
- six subjects
six subjects: the organization and power of the planning commission, which was directed to prepare and adopt a “master plan”; the content of the master plan for the physical development of the territory; provision for adoption of a master street plan by the governing body; provision for approval of all public improvements by the planning commission; control of private subdivision of land; nad provision for the establishment of a regional planning commission and a region plan.
Land Ordinance of 1785
- provided for the rectangular land survey of the Old Northwest
- following end of Revolutionary War
- systematic way to divide and distribute land to public
Homestead Act of 1862
- provided 160 acres of land to settlers for $18
- required 5 years of residence
- total settlement of 270 million acres or 10% of the US land area
Morill Act
1862
- allowed new western states to establish colleges
General Land Law Revision Act
1891
- gave the president the power to create forest preserves by proclamation
Forest Management Act
1897
- allowed the Secretary of the Interior to manage forest preserves
US Reclamation Act
1902
- allowed funds from the sale of public lands in arid states to be used to construct water storage and irrigation systems
Antiquities Act
1906
- provided federal protection for archaeological sites
- allowed for the designation of national monuments
Servicemen’s Readjustment Act
1944
GI Bill
- guaranteed home loans to veterans
- resulted in rapid development of suburbs
US Housing Act of 1954
- largest impetus for comprehensive planning
- required cities to develop comprehensive plans
- provided funding for planning under section 701
- led to the creation of plans for the purpose of receiving federal funding rather than truly planning for communities
First Tenement House Act of 1867
1867
- required fire escapes for each suite and a window for every room
- loophole led to tenements being built with windows facing interior hallways
- first major housing code in US
New York
Second Tenement House Act of 1879
1879
- closed a loophole of the first tenement law by requiring windows to face a source of fresh air and light, not an interior hallway.
- Led to the Dumbbell tenement
- air shafts filled with water, garbage and waste, becoming unsanitary
New York
“old law” tenements
Tenement House Act of 1901
- banned the construction of dark, poorly ventilated tenement buildings in the U.S. state of New York.
- required outward-facing windows in every room, an open courtyard, proper ventilation systems, indoor toilets, and fire safeguards.
- outlawed dumbbell tenements
- required inspection and permits for construction adn alterations
New York
“new law” tenements
National Housing Act of 1934
- established the Federal Housing Administration with the purpose of ensuring mortgages
- established the FSLIC for insuring savings deposits
US Housing Act of 1937
- $500M in home loans for low-cost housing
- tied slum clearance to public housing
- Section 8 of the act authorized project-based rental assistance
Section 8 authorized project-based rental assistance where the owner reserves some or all of the units in a building for low-income tenants (later amended by 1974 act to become Seciton 8 Housing)
Housing Act of 1949
Wagner-Ellender-Taft Bill
- first comprehensive housing legislation in the US
- called for 800,000 new housing units
- emphasized slum clearance
- provided fundign for urban redevelopment
Housing Act of 1954
- called for slum prevention and creates Urban Renewal program
- Section 701 provided funding for Comprehensive Plans for cities under 25,000 population - later expanded for statewide, interstate, and regional planning
*
Housing Act of 1961
- provided interest subsidies to nonprofits, limited-divident corporations, cooperatives, and public agencies for the construction of public housing projects for low and moderate income families
- first federal housing subsidy program
Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965
- creates the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- also put in place rent subsidies for the poor, reduced interest home loans, and subsidies for public housing
Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966
- launch of model cities program
- financial incentives for coordinated metro area planning for open spaces, water supply, sewage disposal, and mass transit
- established loan guarantee program to encourage the development of new communities
Civil Rights Act of 1968
- made racial discrimination in the sale or rental of housing illegal
- Title 8 and 9 of act are the Fair Housing Act
Fair Housing Act
1968
- Title 8 and 9 of the Civil Rights Act of 1968
- prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex (since 1974), people with disabilities (since 1988), and families with children (since 1988)
National Historic Preservation Act
1966
- establishes the National Register of Historic Places
- Section 106 provides for the protection of preservation-worthy sites and properties threatened by federal activities
- creates the National Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
- directs states to appoint a State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO)
National Environmental Policy Act
1969
requires an environmental impact statement for every federal or federally aided state or major local action that may harm the environment
Intermodal Surface Transporation Efficiency Act
ISTEA
1991
first federal transportation law to mandate planning
Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968
- provided for the construction of 6 million subsidized housing units
- authorized monthly subsidies for private houses for low-income families
Housing and Community Development Act
1974
- consolidated 6 categorical grants with the block grant as the primary form of federal aid for local community development
- creates the CDBG program
- created the Section 8 Voucher program (amending 1937 legislation) to provide rent subsidies for low income housing
National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Act of 1974
- regualted manufactured housing units for the first time
- applied to all manufactured homes built after 1976
- local ordinances can regulate manufactured housing in terms of location, size, and appearance
Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
1975
- requires financial institutions to report mortgage data to the public
- helps track whether banks are serving the housing credit needs of their community and potentially identify discriminatory lending patterns
Community Reinvestment Act (CRA)
1977
- encourages banks to meet the credit needs of low- and moderate-income neighborhoods
- aim to reverse effects of redlining
- requires federal regulators to assess how well each bank fulfills its obligations to low- and moderate-income neighborhoods
Revised Housing and Community Development Act (1977)
- authorized the Urban Development Action Grant Program (UDAG) to promote public-private partnership for urban redevelopment
- required intergovernmental cooperation in the placement of projects
- cut funding for the Section 701 comprehensive planning program
National Affordable Housing Act of 1990
created the HOME program which provides funds for housing rehabilitation
Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000
- protects individuals, houses of worship, and other religious institutions from discrimination in zoning and lnadmarking laws
- prohibits zoning and landmarking laws that substantially burden the religious exercise of churches or other religious assemblies or institutions absent the least restrictive means of furthering a compelling governmental interest
1956 Federal Highway Act
- created the highway system that links state capitals and most large cities
- created the Highway Trust Fund to finance highway building
- sources of revenue for the Highway Trust Fund include taxes collected from vehicle sales.
Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949
- established the General Services Administration, which is responsible for managing, acquiring, and disposing of federal property.
