In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build

Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by joe_the_user on Saturday April 16, 2016 @01:02PM (#11511302)

The NYTimes had an article on an absolutely unregulated city in India. Sewage bumped in vacant lots is a problem. Safety outside developed areas is a problem.

Still, removing parking requirements might be a good thing if creates incentive for public transit. Removing single family home mandates seems like it would be great for avoiding sprawl. But as you say, just these two.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/world/asia/09gurgaon.html

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by skewart on Saturday April 16, 2016 @01:16PM (#11511370)

You're making a massive leap from legalizing more different kinds of development in the US to a totally unregulated city in India. It's basically a strawman fallacy. The article clearly talks about a lack of many basic government authority and services way beyond zoning codes, like electricity and criminal justice. I think the lack of reliable power and sweage treatment might have a lot more to do with it being chaotic than the lack of laws banning multifamily apartment buildings.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by ktRolster on Saturday April 16, 2016 @01:27PM (#11511429)

If you think builders won't screw home-purchasers every chance they get, then you don't know many home builders.

There's a reason we have housing inspections at so many steps in the building process.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by skewart on Saturday April 16, 2016 @02:13PM (#11511634)

Building inspections are to enforce building codes, not zoning. Building inspections and building codes are a very good thing. I don't think anyone in these comments is saying otherwise.

Zoning and building codes are two vastly different things. Zoning controls how buildings can be used, what types of new buildings can be built, and, in some cases buildings' overall shape and size. Building codes specify how buildings can be built, and what quality and safety standards the construction has to meet.

Like many other pro-housing-affordablity people, I believe we should massively relax zoning laws in most places (though not necessarily abolish them entirely). I do not think we should change building codes in any way.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by jessaustin on Saturday April 16, 2016 @01:44PM (#11511504)

Actually, there are many reasons, some of which are good for home-purchasers. It might interest you to know that the inspection regimes of different municipalities vary drastically.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by PKop on Saturday April 16, 2016 @05:09PM (#11512268)

What does that have to do with zoning?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by joe_the_user on Saturday April 16, 2016 @02:48PM (#11511758)

It's not my leap, I'm responding to the parent who called for completely unregulated development.

The original comment: If you want to fix the country then remove all limits, let developers develop whatever and whereever they deem there is demand.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by BurningFrog on Saturday April 16, 2016 @02:10PM (#11511619)

There are a zillion other things separating India from California.

Compare SF to unzoned Houston instead.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build by jessaustin on Saturday April 16, 2016 @04:26PM (#11512120)

I guess we're lucky that "Somalia" wasn't invoked for the nine hundredth time.

[ Parent | on HN ]