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If you add $1100/month to the cost of driving to discourage that, all that happens is that the $3000/month apartment goes up to $4000/month because you've incre

If you add $1100/month to the cost of driving to discourage that, all that happens is that the $3000/month apartment goes up to $4000/month because you've increased demand for closer housing but not supply. That's not all that happens. You also see an increase in the population living close to work (even without zoning changes, you'll have more people living in the same set of units) and employees demanding higher wages for working in inaccessible parts of town, and companies responding by moving offices to places where they can get cheaper workers (i.e., places which are more accessible).

AnthonyMouse 10y ago
The problem is all of those things are bad: > You also see an increase in the population living close to work (even without zoning changes, you'll have more people living in the same set of units) Everyone gets squeezed into a tin can in probable violation of zoning and fire codes, when instead we could build nice new housing for everyone. > employees demanding higher wages for working in inaccessible parts of town Which some of them would get but it would only go directly to rent. Which prices the existing occupants without higher wages out of the space, and makes high housing costs even stickier because landlords never like to see rent decrease and now have more incentive and resources to fight against it. > companies responding by moving offices to places where they can get cheaper workers (i.e., places which are more accessible). Another way of saying less density and more sprawl.