> I don't know about you, but I actively use and enjoy every one of those things.
That's fine, as long as you pay the costs associated with those things. However, in most cities suburbs are revenue negative, and subsidized by the dense downtown areas (that don't have these).
> I wouldn't want to impose a garden or a parking spot on you.
The entire problem is that this is exactly what is done though. Zoning forces a very specific type of housing in most of the city (single family house with large lot size, garage, driveway and backyard), even for those who would be okay with or prefer something else.
>>Zoning forces a very specific type of housing in most of the city (single family house with large lot size, garage, driveway and backyard), even for those who would be okay with or prefer something else.
Are you conflating city and suburbs here? While this is obviously dependent on each city/town which has their own zoning rules, most of the locales with which I'm familiar have quite the dense-pack throughout the city, and the suburbs are out in separate towns.
>>However, in most cities suburbs are revenue negative.
Again, if the suburbs are separate towns, I don't see how this affects the city budget. If the suburbs are within the city and on the same budget, I'd look at the balance of costs and revenue, and if a particular zoning district is substantially more costly, i.e., being subsidized, then it seems a rate adjustment for that zoning type would be in order...
As it is, for where I live, the town is essentially all rural/residential, with 2-acre minimums (some exceptions), 35mi from the major city, and I can say that yes, we REALLY do pay for those associated things - one of the highest tax rates in the state, and increased ~50% since moving in 15 years ago. Yes, we occasionally grumble, but I am much more happy to pay for the zoning rules that maintain an healthy ecosystem where I can see over a dozen types of birds out the window at breakfast and many other healthy populations, than I'd be even slightly interested to see densepack developments reducing my rates (I can find densepack & lower rates elsewhere, and if I wanted it, I'd have gone there)
That's fine, as long as you pay the costs associated with those things. However, in most cities suburbs are revenue negative, and subsidized by the dense downtown areas (that don't have these).
> I wouldn't want to impose a garden or a parking spot on you.
The entire problem is that this is exactly what is done though. Zoning forces a very specific type of housing in most of the city (single family house with large lot size, garage, driveway and backyard), even for those who would be okay with or prefer something else.