But it's impossible to make affordable and below-market housing profitable unless the underlying issues, land acquisition costs and zoning, are addressed. That

But it's impossible to make affordable and below-market housing profitable unless the underlying issues, land acquisition costs and zoning, are addressed. That means the government will have to subsidize these units and they still won't be enough to meet demand. So only the lucky few who win the housing lottery will benefit. Everyone else (most lower-income people, middle-income renters overpaying for low-end housing) still loses out. I'd prefer that we solved the problem for most people rather than just a lucky few. If people couldn't afford food because not enough farmland was available for reasons like "preserving the character of the area" (imagine that you can't truck food in from lower-cost locations in this scenario) you bet we'd find a way to start growing more food stat. No one would say "Well we'll just subsidize food for some people so fewer people will starve. But it's no use letting farmers farm because they'll just grow Kobe beef and avocados instead of wheat and corn".