Far from saving neighborhoods, zoning laws can in many ways destroy them. Ironically, it is in many ways, the zoning laws that have led to urban sprawl: Now we live in one area, work in another, dine in another, and shop in yet another...And then the government planners wonder why we need cars: It would be impossible to find a place where you could do all those things in the same neighborhood.

Some communities in Iowa have required all new homes to have at least two acres (About 90,000 sq ft) of property. These laws were passed with the thought that the cost of land would discourage too much new home building and the added "space" between homes would help maintain the rural nature of the neighborhood. The unintended consequence of this law is that urban sprawl has increased! As a new housing development requires more land than it otherwise might had the stupid law never been passed.

On a square mile of land (640 acres) you once could fit as many as 4 or 5 houses per acre, and that included the street! Now look how many homes can fit on that same square mile of property if each home requires two acres or more of property...I'll let you do the math...But needless to say: There is a lot more farmland being taken out of production every time a new home is built.

Scott