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by xg15 3 days ago
Not an American, so maybe I'm underestimating the insanity of US zoning laws, but I always thought "residental ares" means "no businesses". Admittedly unpleasant if it means there can't be any grocery store or even café reachable by foot, but at least I get the rationale.

But if the zoning restriction is "absolutely nothing except single-family homes", this becomes insane. So even if there is a local neighborhood who would like to build a sports field or a community center, they can't because of zoning? This makes no sense for me at all.
2 comments
watwut 3 days ago
> Admittedly unpleasant if it means there can't be any grocery store or even café reachable by foot, but at least I get the rationale.

I dont get the rationale with those two. What it is, to make living less comforta ble for residents? Doesnt everybody wants a grocery store and cafe nearby?

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hollerith 3 days ago
"this isn’t possible anymore because of property prices"
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xg15 3 days ago
Well, ok, but then how are property prices artificially driven up by planning restrictions?

Is this just about not allowing more compact housing like condos or high-rises?

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beerandt 2 days ago
The key to understanding all of this is that a huge set of Americans 'want' to pay more as an exclusionary benefit.

With section 8 (fed housing welfare) rules, any multifamily structure has a better than not chance of becoming slum housing in a time frame less than the average span of homeownership.

Which is both about property values and not wanting to live in/near section 8 residents.

"Planning" and zoning aren't the problem, they're the enforcement mechanism. (Since police and other public enforcement of quality of life issues has been all but neutered in the name of equity/civil-rights/whatever.)

Same reason for the seemingly inexplicable popularity of HOAs that everyone seems to hate.

High prices are one of many resultant 'enforcement' prongs.

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