Form follows function
Form follows function. Function determines the form.
Policies, codes, manuals, perceptions, and beliefs influence the design and construction of our neighborhoods, commercial corridors, roads, etc. These sets of beliefs and practices determine whether you will be successful at renting or buying a place to live, getting to work on time, or walking across a street.
You might decide to advocate for walkable neighborhoods and shopping districts. But, if the regulatory environment doesn't value it, then it's much harder for you to achieve that results.
And, in the same community, you can have one neighborhood that is begging for a grocery store within walking distance or reasonable access by car or bus. In another area, you can have someone advocating for a specific brand or type of grocery store.
Building affordable housing combines regulations (permitting more diverse housing types) and market dynamics (supply and demand). Attainable commercial space for startups and entrepreneurs won't happen if the minimum standards are primarily achievable by big-box retailers and other national chains.
In the United States context, there are three primary types of land development regulations with predictable results:
Conventional Zoning: prescribes minimum and maximums needed to support the desired use of land;
Zoning Design Guidelines: takes conventional Zoning and try to articulate how structures should look;
Form-Based Codes - integrates the physical form of buildings, streets, and civic spaces based on time-test forms of urbanism.
The built environment evolves from a constant evaluation and refinement of our beliefs and practices. If we want our form to be different, then it might be time to evaluate how we want all the places within our communities to function.