On the other hand, it isn't immediately obvious from looking at zoned towns that they look or perform better than unzoned ones. Zoning doesn't appear to be either the menace or the panacea that its opponents and proponents portray. Like most laws, zoning is intended to ensure that one person's freedom does not come at the expense of another. I should be able to do what I want on my land, but not in a way that pollutes your water or blights your view or reduces your property value. I shouldn't be allowed to raise your taxes or reduce your municipal services by constructing so many houses so fast that I strain the capacity of schools and roads.
Most zoning plans are too weak to assure that essential fairness.
They allow enormous growth. And zoning often encourages wasteful settlement patterns, especially when it requires large lots. It provides room to separate septic tanks from wells. It separates neighbors, so they're less likely to annoy each other with their freedoms. It slows growth.