[greenmountin]

Thank you for voicing this view, it seems at odds with the conclusion of the gp (which is interesting too, and the consensus here at HN when this sort of issue comes up).

I've been thinking about this for a while, and I would really like to see the evidence for your view. What are the cities that have begun to suffer for lack of zoning (in this context, or otherwise)? Is this a modern problem? Is there a textbook example?

Google suggests Houston has a lack of zoning; interesting, but clearly it has been able to grow via sprawl.