Hacker News Reader

Comment by ok_dad | Hacker News Reader

The Japanese have an excellent method for zoning that prevents the worst cases (industrial next-door to residential, for instance) but doesn't limit things like corner stores below an apartment.

https://urbankchoze.blogspot.com/2014/04/japanese-zoning.htm...

View on HN

Yes, every time zoning comes up, someone mentions this.

The thing is, in order for mixed uses not to be a nuiscance to each other you need to import the Japanese culture with the Japanese upbringing of individuals together with the Japanese zoning system.

So what you're saying is, our culture makes nice living impossible, and we should work on that.

For an outsider like myself, that seems obvious. I think a great example of this is that driving kids to school is the norm now.

Yea, it “saves money”. For the school district; parents now have to spend gas to sit in traffic. I guess 40 cars is more efficient than one diesel electric bus, if you’re a penny pinching administrator.

I mean, Japanese kids walk/bike/metro to school, I think it's free for the school districts

Let's do it the Japanese way. Kids should pass an exam to get into a good high school, and spend an hour on several trains.

You have to start somewhere! Culture affects zoning but zoning also affects culture.

Another thing that someone brings up most time zoning is brought up: there used to be a time when Americans did it right, and they tore it (almost) all down for what it is now. Culture is shaped and can be changed, it took a wrong turn and is now in a bad state for zoning, but it shouldn’t be impossible for work it back to a state that works well for zoning.

When was that exactly? In the century since Amber v Euclid was ruled, someone somewhere has had their personal property rights violated by the state or its proxies, whether on account of race, religion, political affiliation, or economic standing.

Zoning, if it works, only does so in monocultures, especially ones that incentivize not complaining.

> When was that exactly

... and what was the population of the USA at that time, and of New York and Los Angeles?

Mixed uses are normal worldwide. It is not something special for Japan that requires special conditions to exists.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com