[eesmith]

> In the 80s ... Unrestricted was the default and zoning was loosely defined where it existed at all.

Umm, pardon? Zoning was well-defined by the 1980s. A lot of post-war development was deliberately zoned single-family detached housing, for example.

[hattmall]

The suburban and exurban sprawl in the 80s was driven by developers chasing unrestricted zoning. Sure zoning was defined in metro areas but there was a ton of cheap housing available and a major development boom in the areas that allowed it.

Now even very rural and remote places will in many cases have restrictive zoning and arduous permitting processes.