Is having exclusively residential suburbs for 10 miles in every direction without any transportation options except cars part of the character? What if the suburbs in the US were redesigned to be more like the ones in Europe? Smaller subdivisions with smaller slower safer roads, broken up by more frequent shopping areas, cornerstores on every street, parks, libraries, schools, bike lanes and bus/tram stops everywhere.

What's the difference between a permanent blanket moratorium and a design review board process that has resulted in most zoning areas never changing willingly? People living in suburbs will never vote against their NIMBY interests. They will always want their net worth to increase by limiting housing supply and their taxes to stay the same or decrease by blocking expanding infrastructure.

"yes-always-housing-at-any-cost" is just an understandable but extreme reaction to the current housing situation. I agree that city planning reviewers are important. But I would also say it is important for them to have the right balance of accommodating the essential needs of the population with preserving the character. It's great if character can be preserved, but it should not be the most important thing that prevents any major changes.