Yeah I don't usually find "suck it" to be a compelling argument it's more expressive.
They didn't quite price in the current zoning restrictions in that they were as changeable then as they are now. If I was particularly motivated and persuasive (or let's be honest good at grift) I could still convince my local city council to rezone my neighborhood to allow said sale. My formulation just doesn't force me to go through a middleman who, most likely, really doesn't care about my neighbor's concerns are just what their cut will be.
This is an equality of opportunity versus equality of outcome issue.
Part of competing in the current marketplace of ideas isn't just the quality of your idea it's your ability to market it. Whether you particularly like that aspect of our public discourse is irrelevant to the current state. The difference here is that the toolkit of getting your message amplified has a much lower bar to entry now than it did before (a nobody with a good tweet can get their video or soundcloud profile in front of millions of eyes). It's probably the case that we're just seeing a shift in the mix of actors who hold power, but the trend has been towards it being easier for people to enter the fight.
My assumption is that the easier it is for people to participate the more we'll trend towards a steady state where the quality of your ideas and your ability to sell them will be the deciding factor in your reach. As opposed to having a dominant advantage because your [race | social caste | profession | political party] has captured the medium of communication and intellectual production. Unfortunately I think we're seeing those groups (2,3, and 4 primarily) lashing out and trying to maintain their advantage to the general detriment of society.
I can still see some value to building codes and regulations, but I really don't see what benefit the very strict zoning regulations are bringing to the table.
If my neighbor and I decide to sell our land to a developer so they can build a small apartment complex we should be allowed to. If the neighbors don't like the idea of having an apartment nearby they can see if they can get in on the deal too (probably turning a tidy profit on their lot) or they can suck it. It's my land I should be able to sell it to whomever I want or build whatever I want provided the structure doesn't pose a physical risk to my neighbor or their property.
> "There is now a near-consensus – at least among those who are not completely steeped in social-media propaganda – that the current public sphere does not serve us well."
Anyone who doesn't agree with my conclusion obviously shouldn't be listened to because they're part of the problem.
I don't know how you can un-ironically say "We need to stop handing off responsibility for maintaining public space to corporations and algorithms – and give it back to human beings. We may need to slow down, but we’ve created democracies out of chaos before. [...]" while arguing for more institutional gate-keeping. The, mostly, free discourse we have on the internet today is more democratic than it was prior to the Gutenberg revolution or the rise of radio. The author just doesn't like the results so they insist we need to go back to the older simpler way where the aristocracy gets to decide what ideas are acceptable because they know better than the common man what's good for him.
They didn't quite price in the current zoning restrictions in that they were as changeable then as they are now. If I was particularly motivated and persuasive (or let's be honest good at grift) I could still convince my local city council to rezone my neighborhood to allow said sale. My formulation just doesn't force me to go through a middleman who, most likely, really doesn't care about my neighbor's concerns are just what their cut will be.