Slate's Matthew Yglesias trumpets Ann Arbor's new "mixed-use" party, a group that advocates a more democratized version of urban planning that defies the politically-influenced micro-managing of urban design ordinances.
Excerpt:
"Of course I'm a radical who's no fan of maximum height rules anywhere, but these kind of codes are a big improvement on the idea that town planners need to micromanage where people can and can't put an office or a store. Regulatory separation of uses is fine to the extent that you don't want people operating potentially dangerous factories (see West, Texas) next to people's houses. But beyond broad safety and pollution concerns, towns should let people vote with their feet and their wallets and see what kind of neighborhoods emerge."
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