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by kelnos 1682 days ago
But zoning itself also creates negative externalities.

I think some zoning does make sense. Totally agreed that we don't want a factory and a nightclub right next to everyone's homes.

But I don't believe that anyone is entitled to their view. The idea that you can buy a plot of land and somehow "own" the line-of-sight between that plot of land and a set of mountains that might be dozens of miles away is just unreasonable, and is not in the public interest.

In your extreme example, it would suck to lose that view, but consider that, after those skyscrapers get built, your property value would likely shoot through the roof. Take that windfall and build a new house on some other land with a great view, land that's less desirable for high-density housing.