David Forbes has written a short history of planning in the City of Asheville for the Mountain Xpress. He tells how sometimes people want government to be more involved in planning. Other times, protest movements arise. He mentions one particular person who opposed one plan and embraced another. I suppose all but the most libertarian among us would be the same way, liking things when they go our way. In the end, if all we’re talking about is design (and the usual feigned horrors of too many cars mowing down children as they play in the middle of a busy road), government should be silent. As long as a few folks don’t enjoy micromanagement of their law-abiding activities their right should be respected. You knew that, but the beat goes on.