The capacity of urban planning laws to yield results entirely different from those anticipated is notorious. As is often the case, the numerous failed attempts recorded in cities worldwide are not enough to prevent new laws and regulations from being enacted.
While these outcomes are sometimes highly detrimental to the city, more often than not, local populations find ways to cope with the new regulations. This capacity for adaptation, combined with legislators' inability to foresee the consequences of their laws, has driven the creation and preservation of defining architectural features in several cities.
