Pedestrian-oriented zoning, including zoning code reforms (ZCR), may be especially beneficial to racially and economically segregated communities, which may lack built environment features that support physical activity. This study examined associations between racialized economic segregation, measured by quintiles of the Index of Concentration at the Extremes, and public transit (PTW) and active travel (ATW) to work, and whether associations were moderated by pedestrian-oriented zoning provisions and ZCR, respectively.

Zoning codes effective as of 2010 representing 3914 US municipalities (45.45% of US population) were evaluated for the presence of ZCR and eight pedestrian-oriented zoning provisions. These data were linked with American Community Survey 2013–2017 and NAVTEQ 2013 data on the outcomes and relevant covariates. Fractional logit regressions were computed with standard errors clustered on county.

Workers from more deprived quintiles were less likely to engage in PTW and ATW (OR = 0.22–0.55, p < 0.01), and tests revealed moderation by zoning (p < 0.05). ZCR was positively associated with PTW for the three most deprived quintiles (OR = 1.53–2.38, p < 0.01), and with ATW for the two most deprived quintiles (OR = 1.42–1.69, p < 0.01) and the second most privileged quintile (OR = 1.26, p < 0.05). In the most privileged quintile, the zoning scale score was negatively associated with PTW (OR = 0.91, p < 0.001) and ATW (OR = 0.94, p < 0.01). However, in the most deprived quintiles, the zoning scale score was positively associated with PTW (Q2: OR = 1.13, p < 0.01) and ATW (Q1-Q2: OR = 1.07–1.09, p < 0.05).

Pedestrian-oriented zoning can provide opportunities for ATW in the most deprived communities. Work is needed to explore zoning policy implementation in those communities.