Zoning refers to municipal laws or regulations that dictate how real property can and cannot be used. For small businesses in gentrifying neighborhoods, zoning can be used to retain space for businesses, protect community-serving retail and services, limit the size and type of retail stores, and create and maintain affordable commercial space.

Form-based codes offer an alternative to conventional zoning and focus on physical form instead of uses. These codes address the relationship between building façades and the public realm, promote placemaking, encourage public engagement in the process, and focus on how buildings relate to the street.