What are zoning maps?
Every parcel of land in the City has a zoning classificationi ranging from residential to commercial, industrial, and special purpose districts. Presently, there are 55 different zoning classifications. When the City’s first Zoning Code was adopted in 1933, zoning maps were also created for the entire City to depict the zoning classificationi for each parcel. The original zoning maps for Philadelphia were a project of the Depression-era Works Progress Administration and were created based on a land use survey of existing conditions. Thus, rather than providing a comprehensive plani to guide development, the City’s original zoning maps simply reflected the current land use patterns that had evolved.
