I read that Goldhagen piece and my reaction was similar to this except with some sputtering and swearing alongside.

Urban planning, as understood in Europe, does not exist in the United States. With only one-dimensional land use laws called zoning ordinances, no American city government has the power to control the interest of developers, and hence lacks the tools to shape urban form for the public good. This was not the case during the era when historic preservation first appeared in the U.S., from 1930 until 1966.Planning and preservation moved in separate d … Read More

via Frozen Music