I think zoning is alive and well in many American cities, but the Canadian cities I'm familiar with use permitted and discretionary land use. Zoning is similar to permitted land use.

I think that permitted land uses should be used for most low-impact uses such as small industrial, commercial and residential developments. Such developments should be guided by policy.

Only those developments of a scale which could significantly impact a street or community should be discretionary and subject to discussion by stakeholders.

It's important that our planning departments not be taxed by petty development to the point where big development doesn't get properly considered.

In American cities, many zoning codes are outdated and look to meeting figures and numbers (height and bulk, FAR, etc etc). By putting the emphasis on quantitative data, it takes away from the built form of cities. The emphasis on the quantitative takes away from the sense of place a place can create. Zoning codes are being reformed and are instituting form-based codes, putting emphasis on the qualitative (sense of place, urbanism; those qualities which meeting a number can't convey), which is setting the stage for the future of zoning. With the revival of traditional neighborhood design and "downtown America," form based codes are making their way into the books quicker than before.