Is it regulation though? Back then there were far fewer people and major social changes were happening - agriculture was rapidly transforming, industrialisation was was just starting, America was a frontier.
Now there are too many people trying to live close to available jobs, agriculture has mechanized meaning there are fewer jobs in rural locations, America industrialised then peaked and de-industrialised a bit, companies are automating processes. All these changes, I don't think you can confidently point to regulation as a single or primary issue.
Rather than look that far to the past, it would probably be better to identify policy that can help in the present and future. Sure, the past can provide lessons, but we can't idealize it or just transfer what worked when there were only 9 million people in the USA.
it's true, population growth is a huge burden to prosperity. but i think it could be mitigated by building more and smaller cities, say in the 10k to 50K range. all you need is to provide companies with incentives for the first 10 or 20 years. Once the jobs go out there, the population will follow.
but it's also alot more than just population growth. you'd think there would have been at least some technological advancements in the last 200 years that could drive down the cost a little bit and instead we're up x2 to x3 or more in some areas. Something has gone seriously wrong.
House size must also play a factor. I did a quick search and it appears to play a major factor and house sizes have gone up massively. Takes longer, more material, more people to build those McMansions with all the crazy gables.
Prefab houses can go up pretty quickly but they don't seem that popular. If they were more popular then maybe they'd gain a scale that would make them a much cheaper option.
Now there are too many people trying to live close to available jobs, agriculture has mechanized meaning there are fewer jobs in rural locations, America industrialised then peaked and de-industrialised a bit, companies are automating processes. All these changes, I don't think you can confidently point to regulation as a single or primary issue.
Rather than look that far to the past, it would probably be better to identify policy that can help in the present and future. Sure, the past can provide lessons, but we can't idealize it or just transfer what worked when there were only 9 million people in the USA.