Emergent zoning

A big problem with current zoning policies is that people don't know what will happen when they actually put them in place. You may know what a particular lot, or maybe even a neighborhood, will look like, but at the town much less the regional evels, there can be a lot of unpleasant surprises.

I would like to see a move to what I call "emergent zoning design." People would first describe what they want the character of a place to look like. Then they would try to specify lot-based rules that would, through interacting on hundred or thousands of lots, end up producing the desired character.

There are plenty of "agent based" computer simulation tools that could simulate the application of particular zoning rules and help people visualize the outcome before they were made law. This bottom up approach also reduces the need for top down planning, which is also prone to failures.

Let's try it!