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Comment by hansel_der | Hacker News Reader

while i appreciate the freedom sentiment, i would think that there's a stark difference in any freedom in regard to population density.

in most german citys there is a set of acceptable colors to paint your house in (i.e. there is most certainly some authority that tells you what you can do to your property in any regard)

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> in most german citys there is a set of acceptable colors to paint your house in (i.e. there is most certainly some authority that tells you what you can do to your property in any regard)

Out of respect for cultural differences, I won't protest you having this rule in Germany, but it doesn't sound great to American ears (I do acknowledge that Americans have disagreements about such things, but I think I speak for the norm that this sounds like people being busybodies).

Depending on where you (want) to live in the US your going to have a hard time finding a home not covered by an HOA, and that HOA will almost certainly restrict your house colors.

Not defending it, just observering that the difference for much of the US population is who is enforcing it, not if the rule exists.

I'm not a fan of HOAs, but there is a big difference between thinking that a hyper-local opt-in association is worthwhile and thinking that it should be part of the legal requirements.

Well, only if there is a "Bebauungsplan" (a plan that describes the requirements of buildings and surroundings, up to the type of trees for example). If there is not, and where we built there isn't, no such limits exist. Beyond your states general laws covering buildings and such.

i recon most (all?) cities have that

Not even close. These plans are limited to certain areas, usually for those, sometimes surprisingly small, areas that have just recently been opened for construction. At least in my experience, there certainly are statistics to be found around that. E.g. we don't have one neither, my parents have one so, including the kind of trees to be planted in community places.

Yes, Germans do not take liberty seriously. You could handle the color constraint by contract, but it's easier to force people than bribe them to sign voluntarily.

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