Ummm....If you want a city without that has not been interfered with by planners or codes, take Houston - an ugly, dumpy, sprawled out mess of a city if there ever was one.
On the other hand, look at Portland, Oregon. It has very restrictive building codes designed to create a vibrant, compact, and walkable city. That has worked out remarkably well as Portland is one of the nicest cities in the country.
Your point about planners is probably true in Detroit's case. Demolishing intact neighborhoods to build freeways to the suburbs is never a good idea. But that doesn't mean that the answer is to just have no planning and let whatever happens happen.
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