PEPP Seminar (February 19th, 2026): by Professor Corbett A Grainger
2026/02/17
2026/2/19 (Thur.)
Speaker: Prof. Corbett A Grainger (University of Wisconsin – Madison）
Chair: Prof. Vuong Nguyen
Time: 16:45~18:15
Title: Restrictive Zoning and Neighborhood Air Quality
Format: Onsite 3K311
More Information: https://www.corbettgrainger.com/
Abstract: We identify municipal zoning as a key institutional channel through which historical housing discrimination translates into contemporary environmental inequality. Exploiting quasi-experimental variation at HOLC (“redlining”) boundaries, we use historical grades as an instrument for present-day zoning status for 39 of the largest cities in the USA. The first stage reveals a strong and monotonic relationship: areas assigned lower historical grades are significantly more likely to be zoned for multi-family use today. Our 2SLS estimates indicate that multi-family zoning causally increases annual PM₂.₅ concentrations by roughly 1 µg/m³, or about 10 percent relative to the sample mean. These results suggest that zoning regulations are an important contributor to current disparities in pollution exposure.
