Housing is always going to be expensive in desirable areas. No amount of social justice or zoning reform is going to make mid-town Manhattan or downtown SF eas

Housing is always going to be expensive in desirable areas. No amount of social justice or zoning reform is going to make mid-town Manhattan or downtown SF easily affordable for anyone who wants to live there. Sure, these areas are culturally vibrant but the real draw of high cost of living areas is the job opportunities. Many people would gladly try out a different area of the country or move back home if only the job prospects were reasonable. I think there's much more bang for the buck in economic revitalization than trying to make every city in America "affordable". Although opposed to government intervention in general, I am much more in favor of proactive, growth-based policies than reactive redistribution-minded reforms.