Quote:
Originally Posted by BrownTown
Well, for one thing you don't seem to understand the difference between the government ALLOWING something and the government BANNING something. If you have areas zoned for single family homes, areas zoned for duplexes, rowhomes etc, areas zoned for mid-rise apartment buildings and areas zoned for high-rise apartment buildings then everyone gets to choose their preferred area. But now the government is BANNING one of these types of zoning so people who want to live in that sort of neighborhood won't be able to. Once again, if there is an area near the city center that is zoned for single family homes and that's a problem then rezone that specific area, don't eliminate single family zoning entirely. That's throwing out the baby with the bath water.
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Actually, it's you who doesn't seem to understand the difference. If a government zones an area for only single family homes, it's
banning any other type of development from the area. If you have areas zoned to allow all of these types of developments, then people can choose their preferred home type and their preferred location. They just won't have a say over other people's home types.
And let's face it. You make it sound as if anyone who wants any type of housing can simply choose it. But in reality, in many North American metro areas the vast majority of the residential land is zoned to only allow low density, often detached single family residential. If the zoning is changed and the majority of people in the majority of neighbourhoods want single family detached, nothing will change. The only places where it will change is where there is demand for other types of housing which are currently... banned.
I realize not everyone likes the idea of capitalism and free markets, and I myself agree that there is often a need for regulation so I'm with you there. I just don't think that regulations that ban anything but low density is a good one. I don't believe it accomplishes anything productive.