An advisor once asked me, if zoning was abolished, would UrbanForm cease to exist? The answer was:
Yes. Absolutely yes it would.
Much like if taxes were abolished, or if taxes moved to a simpler system, many companies and institutions would no longer be necessary (like Intuit TurboTax, H&R Block, and even the Internal Revenue Service).
If the zoning was abolished, then there would be no need for tools to manage its complexity, which is exactly what UrbanForm does.
What is astonishing is that the scenario where zoning is abolished is in fact playing out in certain California cities:
Due to an (until now) obscure provision in California zoning laws, certain cities have had their entire zoning provisions suspended. Which means no zoning.
The result?
Lots of building permit applications.
Read more about it here: