That isn't quite fair. Most of these selections about what goes into a new house are not being made a la carte. The construction is performed according to the specifications of development companies. Individuals then go on to buy the homes which are available, at which point they are making choices based on the entire package.

The city's ban is largely aimed at changing the design specifications made by the developers. It has the benefit of preventing additional decades of lock-in and new development to infrastructure they'd like to remove anyway.

Treating their constituents like idiots is something all politicians do—it's just harder to see it in the ones who've convinced you that they're on your team.