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You don't just drop zoning laws and expect the problem to fix itself. The bad zoning lead to road planning for the densities that are there (and even then, the
by zanny 9y ago
You don't just drop zoning laws and expect the problem to fix itself. The bad zoning lead to road planning for the densities that are there (and even then, the densities are beyond what was expected and thus infrastructure is taxed). Fixing LA at this point requires not only bulldozing the sprawl and building higher density but also requires expanded road, sewer, electric, and public transit networks to accommodate.
And in this political climate that will simply never happen. Nobody wants to invest in infrastructure anywhere there is already established buildings. They just want to build new, not refurbish old, because its cheaper to do the former, even if it is macroscopically unsustainable and fails to solve the problem.
- posguy 9y agoThen you end up with a bunch of really expensive infrastructure in low density neighborhoods, which is really really bad. Cities can't afford to maintain said infrastructure, and you end up like Lafayette, Louisiana[1], or any of the older suburbs in the US. Dezoning and allowing urban areas to densify is the only reasonable way forward. Sure, you won't have every road be a 6 or 8 lane monstrosity like Atlanta, but that is not a bad thing. By densifying our cities, mass transit becomes much more efficient and cost effective, and reduces/eliminates the need and outsized cost of owning a car. 1 - https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2017/1/9/the-real-reason-your-city-has-no-money https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2017/1/9/the-real-reason...