Most unfortunately, the early (1918) Zoning Ordinance of St. Louis was held unconstitutional in 1923 and the city was without zoning protection and direction for two and one-half years. In 1926 a revised and badly compromised zoning plan was adopted. This ordinance is still in effect. Among its main deficiencies are:

1. No single-family dwelling district.
2. No population density regulations.
3. Insufficient residence area, the total now zoned for dwelling purposes being considerably less than is now in use.
4. Twice as much area zoned for commerce as is now in use can be expected in the future.
5. More than twice as much area zoned for industrial purposes as is now in use.
6. Obsolete and inadequate text regulations.

The present zoning ordinance is so badly outmoded and so out of scale with existing conditions that it cannot possibly be revised in satisfactory form. See Table Number VII. Present zoning invites further blight and slums where potentially good residential land is zoned for commerce or industry that will not come because of the unreasonably large area so zoned.