[Alberta's Child]

Local control of zoning and land use decisions is ideal, but it has one major drawback that haunts major metro areas for decades at a time. I see this all the time in my line of work. The typical scenario is a region where municipalities resist all attempts by a state government to meddle in their land use decisions, but then turns around and demands huge piles of state funding for the infrastructure that is needed to support those land use decisions.

The typical symptom of this problem is the chronic congestion you see on major highways all over the U.S.

[packagingguy]

Zoning has been a big problem in our area. Some of the suburbs zone only for 5 acre lots and houses no less than 6,000 square feet.

The post-WWII part of the city (though dangerous, shotgun beside the bed at night) is much more diverse in housing—you have luxury high rises, condominiums, zero lot lines, and houses with yards. All sorts of architecture.

It really is a pain when one gets older, wants to downsize and live in the suburbs. All the condominiums are 40-50 years old and new ones are not allowed. People actually had more choices in housing after WWII and through to the 1980s than they do today.

Not that housing policy should come down from Washington, but local zoning laws really are a problem when it comes to housing, especially for people just starting out (who can only afford a small house to start a family) and people who are getting older and can’t spend hours taking care of an enormous house and yard.