Nobody is proposing that the planning system be abolished, and planning
control is a major constraint on tall buildings. But it is the lack of
a land value tax that leads to persistent attempts to put up tall
buildings, often in unsuitable locations with poor access. This is
because so much land is underused or unused, that an artificial
shortage is created which makes it economically viable to over-develop
land. In reality the demand for housing and office space is not
infinite but constrained by population size, transport access, etc.
Nobody would want to put up an office block out in the middle of nowhere if
there was an ample supply of premises in central locations.
