Quote:
Originally posted by snowman
No Rick, its the overabundance of "planners" that cause these discusting cookie cutter, wastelands. Individuals, planning and building their own houses, thats what makes up a nice "classic" neighborhood.
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Perhaps things work different where you live. The localities I'm familiar with elect and/or hire officials who sit on a planning and/or zoning board. It's up to this board to create and/or preserve the personality of the municipality.
I can think of two nearby towns, both affluent, which are at opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to planning and management. One has a strick minimum acerage for single family homes, minimum setback, controls on the type/style of commercial buildings...etc etc. The other town has a hodge podge of strip malls (some squeezed into place at strange angles), large cookie cutter condo/townhose complexes, houses built in previously unbuildable lots between other houses....you get the picture.
This isn't the doing of the developers but of the planning, management and zoning authorities. Unfortunately this is common behavior in many parts of the country. Likely caused by the quest to collect more taxes (amongst other reasons).