{"product_id":"zoned-out","title":"Zoned Out","description":"\u003cp\u003eResearchers have responded to urban sprawl  congestion  and pollution by assessing alternatives such as smart growth  new urbanism  and transit-oriented development. Underlying this has been the presumption that  for these options to be given serious consideration as part of policy reform  science has to prove that they will reduce auto use and increase transit  walking  and other physical activity. Zoned Out forcefully argues that the debate about transportation and land-use planning in the United States has been distorted by a myth?the myth that urban sprawl is the result of a free market. According to this myth  low-density  auto-dependent development dominates U.S. metropolitan areas because that is what Americans prefer. Jonathan Levine confronts the free market myth by pointing out that land development is already one of the most regulated sectors of the U.S. economy. Noting that local governments use their regulatory powers to lower densities  segregate different types of land uses  and mandate large roadways and parking lots  he argues that the design template for urban sprawl is written into the land-use regulations of thousands of municipalities nationwide. These regulations and the skewed thinking that underlies current debate mean that policy innovation  market forces  and the compact-development alternatives they might produce are often zoned out of metropolitan areas. In debunking the market myth  Levine articulates an important paradigm shift. Where people believe that current land-use development is governed by a free-market  any proposal for policy reform is seen as a market intervention and a limitation on consumer choice  and any proposal carries a high burden of scientific proof that it will be effective. By reorienting the debate  Levine shows that the burden of scientific proof that was the lynchpin of transportation and land-use debates has been misassigned  and that  far from impeding market forces or limiting consumer choice  policy reform that removes regulatory obstacles would enhance both. A groundbreaking work in urban planning  transportation and land-use policy  Zoned Out challenges a policy environment in which scientific uncertainty is used to reinforce the status quo of sprawl and its negative consequences for people and their communities.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44986199375925,"sku":"ByrdShop_1933115157","price":40.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781933115153.jpg?v=1770891789","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/zoned-out","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}