The suburban and exurban sprawl in the 80s was driven by developers chasing unrestricted zoning. Sure zoning was defined in metro areas but there was a ton of c

The suburban and exurban sprawl in the 80s was driven by developers chasing unrestricted zoning. Sure zoning was defined in metro areas but there was a ton of cheap housing available and a major development boom in the areas that allowed it. Now even very rural and remote places will in many cases have restrictive zoning and arduous permitting processes.