It’s Time to Abolish Single-Family Zoning
I’m surprised that free market enthusiasts don’t see zoning laws as a limitation of freedom, even though it’s probably the most direct limitation by government today.<p>There could be so much innovation in solving the NIMBY problem. Make a cash payment to neighbors while construction is happening to compensate for the nuisance, give them equity in your new building if their view is damaged, obligate builders to also build bus stops&#x2F;bike lanes&#x2F;whatever to make the streets navigable with high density, mixed use construction with privacy to avoid strangers.<p>So many problems that people have with construction can be solved and incentives aligned if people had the ability to try to convince their neighbors.<p>Instead we’ve ended up with city councils that have high incumbency rates because voting in city elections is cumbersome requiring you to convince the whole city to change zoning rather than just your neighbors.<p>And I’m surprised politically liberal people aren’t even more in favor. So many people want to move to the west coast but can’t due to cost of living. Instead they move to the south and southwest. Even if California got a million staunch republicans, the state would vote democratic overall and get more electoral votes. In fact, I wonder if some of our political polarization is the consequence of reduced mobility due to high housing costs for new people.<p>I’m hopeful the millennial generation fixes federal housing policy. That alone would be a meaningful contribution to society.