> ‘Vasectomy zoning’ can block or raise the cost of things young families need, like three-bedroom apartments and day-care centers. > At the end of last year,

> ‘Vasectomy zoning’ can block or raise the cost of things young families need, like three-bedroom apartments and day-care centers. > At the end of last year, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission weighed a proposed zoning change that would effectively ban new day-care centers—along with tire stores and car repair shops—in a large chunk of northwest Philadelphia. The bill swiftly encountered fierce resistance, and it now appears dead. But the effort to block additional child-care facilities with a zoning overlay hints at a broader relationship between city planning and the cost of raising children. A growing body of research indicates that restrictive zoning—which often blocks the services and housing that families need—may help to explain why family sizes are shrinking in the United States.