In many (most?) areas in Texas there is little or no zoning, e.g. famously in Houston, where voters rejected it multiple times. However, things like this are ob

In many (most?) areas in Texas there is little or no zoning, e.g. famously in Houston, where voters rejected it multiple times. However, things like this are obviously the (crazy) exception rather than the rule. Are land use restrictions like zoning good or not? In most large cities, people are enserfed by their home purchases, if they can even afford one altogether. A minimal amount of zoning is one thing, but we're talking height and volume limits, byzantine red tape, and countless other intentional impediments. Here's two somewhat-similar listings from Houston (no zoning): https://www.redfin.com/TX/Houston/4119-Chasewick-Cir-77014/home/30534538 https://www.redfin.com/TX/Houston/4119-Chasewick-Cir-77014/h... And Austin (zoning and plenty of other land use restrictions): https://www.redfin.com/TX/Austin/3613-Windsor-Rd-78703/home/31234703 https://www.redfin.com/TX/Austin/3613-Windsor-Rd-78703/home/... I only spent 15 seconds looking these up, and obviously demand is different because of different neighborhoods, job markets, and whatnot - but restrictive land use laws generally account for 90% of the remaining price difference these days. Before the housing pyramid scheme began in the early 1970s, the median house used to cost a couple years' worth of the median income in most places. In Houston this is still the case.