[GladesGuru]

Dear Sun Soldier,

Have you considered the example which Texas set regarding the putative essentiality of zoning?

One major city has essentially no zoning. That city had a thriving economy when most of the rest of America was doing rather less well. If zoning was as essential, if central planning was as essential as I think you are saying, then I have a hard time hearing what you are saying for what they were doing.

Zoning, along with the rest of the tools of socialism like "Sustainable Development" ad nauseam, are not as essential as those whose cash flow is derived from those mechanisms would have us believe.

Zoning, in its present form, is nothing but central planning.

If central planning were able to be perfected, Europe and the old, now extinct, Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics, would have succeeded. They failed at a cost of some 100,000,000 people being killed.

Here in America, socialism is still Communism Lite, so far. But as President Reagan said, "Being a little socialist is like being a little bit pregnant."

Check the history of places like New York,Boston, New Orleans, Chicago, and San Fransisco prior to the establishment of de facto socialism.

There was quite a mix of usages. And quite a bit of growth and prosperity.

[Sun Soldier]

"Have you considered the example..."

I'm afraid I haven't. You made some very good points in your post. I don't believe zoning is essential and should have been more clear in what I posted. I said:

"...there has to be someone managing how the real estate is utilized."

I should have said, in large cities, it's easier to convince the residents that there has to be somone managing how the real estate is utilized. For instance, a company purchases land and builds a paper mill or a hog farm in close proximity to a residential or shopping district. After the stench drifted through the district, it would be easier to convince the people in that district that zoning is necessary.