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Politics : Libertarian Discussion Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MeDroogies who wrote (2063)	3/9/1999 12:50:00 AM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13060

"Conceptually, you can have zoning laws and still have property rights that are of paramount importance.": Wow, a breakthrough!!!

To: MeDroogies who wrote (2063)	3/9/1999 2:14:00 AM
From: Dave Reed	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 13060

Civility seems to be decaying a little bit around here... I've already apologized for my own sarcasm. MeDroogies, I'm interested in hearing more about your views on zoning. I'm opposed to zoning laws; they seem to have done more harm than good as do most government programs. The law of unintended consequences and the inevitable distorting influence of politics seem to affect zoning laws just as they do other "good ideas". Do you have a different view? In San Jose right now, people are talking about how zoning into separate residential, commercial, and industrial districts has lead to an automobile based lifestyle which precludes walking to work or to go shopping, etc. Now they are planning to try to zone future development for mixed use. The big excitement here is about the development of the Coyote valley to the south. All the urban planners are looking forward to planning perfect mixed use communities where people can sit on their porches and talk to neighbors and walk to the stores, etc. I have every confidence that this new approach to zoning will also fail in some ghastly way, leading to problems that have not been anticipated. The planned cities of Brasilia in Brazil and La Defense in France show just how limited the human imagination is when it comes to planning the perfect community. I'd rather permit each individual to make their own optimum decision when it comes to choosing where to build their house or locate their business. The forces of spontaneous order create better communities, just as they create better economies, in my opinion. There is a great article in the LP news this month about the problems of suburban growth. If you get the LP News, you might enjoy reading this article. In it, the author talks about the different communities he's lived in in different stages of his life. What were benefits of living in a city when he was young became disadvantages when he grew older. So how can you plan a perfect community when what "perfect" means changes based on your age and situation in life? It is the diversity of communities, which can only truly develop in an environment without central planning, that can provide the opportunities for each of us to find our own happiness. What's your view? Dave