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Zoning building codes and over regulation is a major cause of the housing shortage.

In the USA.

I'm not sure what a “zoning building code” is. Zoning codes are from a political process that basically define that you can build this and not that in a specific location. This zoning colliery also applied to types of business operations and such. Building codes are functionally engineering specifications although political drivers can influence their existence.

From what I have learned about 3D printing for housing and commercial structures, the limitations thus far have been economic, technical and wrap these two up in sociological issues. Economic comes down to $$$ per square foot. Yes, it appears that the building structure can go up in a fraction of the time but it uses very expensive printing equipment and more expensive concrete. Technical issues apparently are that building code specifications have not expanded to adequately cover this type of construction. Sociological issues circle around that the printed structure will look differently than the historical standard.

I'm not sure what a “zoning building code” is. Zoning codes are from a political process that basically define that you can build this and not that in a specific location. This zoning colliery also applied to types of business operations and such. Building codes are functionally engineering specifications although political drivers can influence their existence.

From what I have learned about 3D printing for housing and commercial structures, the limitations thus far have been economic, technical and wrap these two up in sociological issues. Economic comes down to $$$ per square foot. Yes, it appears that the building structure can go up in a fraction of the time but it uses very expensive printing equipment and more expensive concrete. Technical issues apparently are that building code specifications have not expanded to adequately cover this type of construction. Sociological issues circle around that the printed structure will look differently than the historical standard.

"Zoning building codes and over regulation is a major cause of the housing shortage.
In the USA."

Yes. Also, there are many lots here and there that can be bought but not built because of local regulations (lots less than minimal large acreages, etc., e.g., 15-acre minimums for residential building in county regs.). Some encumbrances are *not* visible to buyers in contracts or from research done by title offices.

It can also be very difficult to find vacant lots that are not controlled by the de facto governments of homeowners' associations in many areas. I've also seen encumbrances hidden by HOAs, for example, minimum house sizes set by architectural committees but not stated in covenants. Those are sometimes given to buyers only *after* a required intent to build is delivered to an HOA. And yes, HOAs will fight to protect those.

Lot research can be very time consuming, and regulatory fees can be very high. Many counties require everything to be engineered (plans by state licensed engineer), including outbuildings (greenhouses), septic systems, etc.

Owner-building can be much like getting into a new game of king of the hill, where established locals have many ways of shutting the efforts of a new arrival down and leaving their lot worthless. There are also local builders' rackets, where regulatory offices go beyond regulations to coerce owner-builders into signing their lives away to local, established builders--often local, established builders (who do none of the actual work) who hire crews of unlicensed, goon-looking drunks and drug addicts to to build the projects with many code violations that pass inspections.