Zoning is simply not high on my list of priorities. We have scads of zoning around me, it's a "special district" above and beyond whatever the city does. I've chatted a few times with the "folks in charge" and it all seems to work pretty well here. The head of the "Midtown Alliance" struck me as pretty intelligent and articulate. I learned from him that a lot of the restrictions are voluntary but the developers abide by them with few exceptions.
I realize zoning is a problem in some places. A thing I do like about Europe is no/little surburban sprawl of strip malls and the like. Their restrictions can of course be a pain locally. Anyway, not really a thing for me personally, but whatever. I'm obviously not a fan of Obama and don't think he "did" much, fortunately.