You mean to say: No one want's to leave someone else's house, especially if they get to stay there for way, way, below market rate, just because the actual owne

You mean to say: No one want's to leave someone else's house, especially if they get to stay there for way, way, below market rate, just because the actual owner of that house wants to sell that house or fully utilize their investment. The problem with SF, NYC, and LA is that more people want to live there than is currently possible by the housing market. As a result, supply of available units is overwhelmed by demand. So, if you are looking to blame some one, blame all those people who want to move to NY and are willing to pay more then the next guy for an apartment. If no one was renting these apartments for the price they are currently renting for, the price would fall. That's the definition of market price. Further, with the internet connecting us closer and closer, I can not imagine where this drive to pack as many people as possible within as small of a place as possible is coming from. I understand that some will argue that high density community impacts the ecology less because you don't have to drive as much. Ok, I'll buy that argument, but can't we have more high and medium density communities in US instead of packing more and more people into the same 3-4 places around the country.