There is a reason why representative democracies exist: Many topics are quite complex and many citizens have their live on their mind and don't dive deep into proposals.
Also zoning is mostly relevant when an area is newly erricted. Thus regarding
> So you should decide what people want, not the people that live there?
There is nobody yet living there.
Changing that after the fact is hard. A small corner supermarket in "suburbia" isn't sustainable as residents can't easily reach it without lots of other changes (walking/cycling infrastructure, public transport, ...) and if people have to use the car anyways the mall a mile or two further south is more attractive.
Also zoning is mostly relevant when an area is newly erricted. Thus regarding
> So you should decide what people want, not the people that live there?
There is nobody yet living there.
Changing that after the fact is hard. A small corner supermarket in "suburbia" isn't sustainable as residents can't easily reach it without lots of other changes (walking/cycling infrastructure, public transport, ...) and if people have to use the car anyways the mall a mile or two further south is more attractive.