Society & Politics

Do zoning boards have too much or too little power? Do they dictate aesthetics? Should safety be only concern? Is "character of neighborhood" valid?

The zoning boards around suburban NYC abrogated more & more power for themselves to dictate aesthetics like roof lines, set backs, etc.

I understand separating residential, commercial, and industrial areas but why act like an HOA? The roof lines that they choose are dog house windows, peaks, etc which makes it infinitely harder to install solar panels which I thought should be of more importance than aesthetics.

The setback rules make it impossible for new construction to prioritize a bigger backyard by moving the house closer to the street.

And my personal pet peeve why must every house be some ghastly shade of white, gray or brown? At BEST you'll find a very muted yellow, blue or green and the only red to be seen is brick (which is fine - I ❤️ 🧱!). Where's the black? Purple? Orange? Violet? The BOLD reds! The DEEP blues! The BRIGHT yellows? Neons? Pastels? Even layered effects with different colors? Suburbia is stultifyingly BORING and devoid of creativity!!

Levittowns have destroyed cities & originality in the USA. Just my rant. It's a boomers world and we're just stuck with it for now. I would love to hear from international people about this! GREAT poem below!

The Levittown Echo

A canvas of white, a picket fence's grace,

Rows of houses, a mirrored, planned space.

Identical dreams, in a cookie-cutter mold,

A story of sameness, in stories untold.

The lawns, a green carpet, manicured and neat,

Where children play games, with hurried, small feet.

The cars in the driveways, a gleaming, bright array,

Symbols of progress, of a brighter new day.

The houses stand silent, a uniformity's call,

Each with its story, behind a white wall.

The dream of a home, a place to belong,

But echoes of sameness, where did we go wrong?

The sun sets on Levittown, a golden, soft hue,

As families gather, their lives shining through.

But in the quiet streets, a question takes hold,

Is this the American

Dream, or a story untold?

The ubiquity is MIND NUMBING
The sameness is desirable, reassuring & conservative
The range of zoning/ housing options is fine.
Something else
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1 y
Apparently suburbia is where dreams go to die... I hate the levittown stepfird Jones ' too!
Do zoning boards have too much or too little power? Do they dictate aesthetics? Should safety be only concern? Is "character of neighborhood" valid?
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