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I'd guess the state level is natural -- but then again some states in the US (and all states in Australia) are dominated by one big city, so the state governmen

I'd guess the state level is natural -- but then again some states in the US (and all states in Australia) are dominated by one big city, so the state government can also be captured by NIMBYs. Generally I dislike the way top-level governments are becoming the only game in town. But the point is to have multiple levels of government checking each other. When it comes to zoning: its the locals who are the "bad" guys.

twelvechairs 10y ago
The problem is local governments are awful at planning for growth, especially in nice areas (where people actually want to live) as they tend towards no change. I think the best solution is still planning at a local level but there should be approppriate rules from a higher level to ensure it works - usually including a growth target which must be planned for and minimum densities (allowing for some exceptions) for different kidnds of locations (greenfield, around train stations, etc) On your other point - in my experience states tend towards the opposite - being developer lobby driven much more than nimby