I agree. Honestly, my belief (no sources!) is that cities are expensive precisely because there are so many regulations and restrictions about what can be done,

I agree. Honestly, my belief (no sources!) is that cities are expensive precisely because there are so many regulations and restrictions about what can be done, and where. Modern cities and suburbs have ZERO flexibility in how they can adapt to changing times. The reality is that zones of certain kinds of activity are fluid. The economy is fluid. The culture, the weather, and the land are all fluid! So why do we try and harden it into a concrete set of laws? The way we have conceived of things in the US has created such a separation between us. We see our homeless neighbors and we are powerless to help them. They are homeless precisely because of all the ridiculous laws we created. Creating property lines, and housing laws incentivizes all of us to build high walls, and protect our shit at all costs. We need a community model for housing. I'm not saying I have the answers at all, but it should be clear that what we have now is failing most of us. I say this as a homeowner myself.