What if the reason our cities feel chaotic, disconnected, or unsustainable has nothing to do with “bad developers” or “greedy politicians,” and everything to do with a hidden set of rules written over a century ago?In this episode — the first of a three-part series with Mike Hathorne — I sit down with Mike to explore how zoning became the invisible force shaping almost every part of American life.Mike is a demographic and housing-market strategist with decades of experience, and his biggest insight is simple and startling: zoning is the DNA of our built environment.Mike shares the moment that opened his eyes — walking into the Kentlands, one of America’s first New Urbanist communities — and realizing that the places that feel magical, walkable, and deeply human are not accidents. They come from a completely different set of rules.Together, we unpack:

Why zoning quietly determines the output of every neighborhood
How cars, modern technology, and early 1900s policy reshaped America overnight
Why people react emotionally to new development — often before they know why
Why terms like “illegal development” are usually misunderstood
And the moral responsibility we all share — planners, designers, officials, developers, and homeowners — in shaping land, nature, and community

For me, this conversation isn’t just academic. It’s about helping people become active observers of the world around them — not passive consumers of whatever environment they inherited.If you’ve ever wondered why your town looks the way it does or whether it could be different, this episode will change how you see the built world forever — and set the stage for the next two episodes in this series.

Mike's book: https://a.co/d/320T3za

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The Clayton Vance Podcast