Zoning and the Free Market

Much is often made of allowing "consenting adults" to exercise their freedoms unhindered by government regulation. Unfortunately, this presumption is often limited to the realm of activities like gambling and prostitution. But should not consenting adults also be allowed freedom in larger economic matters such as real estate? In this 1981 lecture, Walter Block discusses the importance of allowing private markets — and not government planners — to decide how land and housing is used by those who buy, sell, and rent it. Presented at the School of Law, Dalhousie University (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) on 29 January 1981. [1:30:56]