In legal scholarship, he is known as the primary litigant in the Mount Laurel decision, which established a state-constitutional basis for inclusionary zoning in New Jersey, a doctrine which has been accepted in other United States jurisdictions.

The litigation led to the requirement by the New Jersey Supreme Court (1983) for communities to supply their "regional fair share" of low-income housing needs, known as the "Mount Laurel Doctrine."

[1] In 1964, Davidoff became a founding member the advocacy planning organization "Planners for Equal Opportunity."

The American Planning Association presents the Paul Davidoff National Award for Social Change and Diversity annually to a project, group, or individual that has assisted the disadvantaged.

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning has presented the Paul Davidoff Award every other year since 1985 to recognize "an outstanding book publication regarding participatory planning and positive social change, opposing poverty and racism as factors in society and seeking ways to address disparities across race, class, language, and gender."