@ehBeth,
I stopped designing "lawns" the second I got away from dealing with housing tracts and city mandates about them. Many housing areas are designed communities held to standards you sign on to when you buy a house there; some of these communities are gated. When I first learned about some of the rules, I was floored by them, but it seems many of the people who like these places like them not in spite of the rules but because of them.
To amend, I've primarily spent my design life in semi arid or arid places and lawns are generally stupid there. But - I'm not against a bit of lawn in some situations, as play areas. In rain washed country, I'm less opposed to lawns.
On veggies in the front yard, fine with me. There are ways to do it and have the yard still look good all year. I'd bet the person the article is about wasn't very good at that, but maybe my guess is wrong. The city, on the other hand, seems at least a few decades behind the times.
