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Can some explain why affordable housing is a problem that requires government policies to prevent? For example, I can't afford a home in Malibu, so I don't live

Can some explain why affordable housing is a problem that requires government policies to prevent? For example, I can't afford a home in Malibu, so I don't live there. I don't understand the issue. Why does government need to step in and fix this?

saosebastiao 8y ago
Lack of affordable housing is a problem that government policies cause. Why not fix it?
psadri 8y ago
It is a problem when not just Malibu, but the entirety of Los Angeles becomes unaffordable. Then people with less means need to live very far away from where they work, etc.
- darren0 8y ago
  I grew up in LA and left because it was unaffordable. So I don't understand the "crisis." Why can't people just move. Seems like the crisis is that maybe people have no mobility and are forced to work in over priced cities. But I don't understand why that is the case.
brigade 8y ago
Rather than stepping in, the government really needs to step out of preventing infill development. AKA, the problem is created in a large part because of the government’s existing policies, thus they should change.
zagzagal 8y ago
While not a federal, or even state issue it is very much a locality issue. One which is unique to a given locality and is well within their rights to legislate. It's for the same reason right to farm laws exist, no community wants to give up its right of self direction to outsiders. Even if in many ways it's not to benifit of its neighbors.
- darren0 8y ago
  Right, if people who live there want to prevent apartments from being built, that will drive up costs. Why does that need to be prevented? Why is the lack of affordable housing a crisis? Eventually it seems the market will level out. If people can't afford to live there then industries will leave. At that point people living there will have to decide if that's okay or they should change policy to be more accompanying.
  - zagzagal 8y ago
    Most communities try and walk a fine line trying to prevent boom and bust cycles. While creative destruction is a necessary part of free market theory it is beyond scary when it comes to peoples communities. That fear and the reality that some of the losers of the market correction are people that one may know personally are why that true free market is never seen in housing.

saosebastiao 8y ago

Lack of affordable housing is a problem that government policies cause. Why not fix it?

psadri 8y ago

It is a problem when not just Malibu, but the entirety of Los Angeles becomes unaffordable. Then people with less means need to live very far away from where they work, etc.

darren0 8y ago
I grew up in LA and left because it was unaffordable. So I don't understand the "crisis." Why can't people just move. Seems like the crisis is that maybe people have no mobility and are forced to work in over priced cities. But I don't understand why that is the case.

brigade 8y ago

Rather than stepping in, the government really needs to step out of preventing infill development. AKA, the problem is created in a large part because of the government’s existing policies, thus they should change.

zagzagal 8y ago

While not a federal, or even state issue it is very much a locality issue. One which is unique to a given locality and is well within their rights to legislate. It's for the same reason right to farm laws exist, no community wants to give up its right of self direction to outsiders. Even if in many ways it's not to benifit of its neighbors.

darren0 8y ago
Right, if people who live there want to prevent apartments from being built, that will drive up costs. Why does that need to be prevented? Why is the lack of affordable housing a crisis? Eventually it seems the market will level out. If people can't afford to live there then industries will leave. At that point people living there will have to decide if that's okay or they should change policy to be more accompanying.
- zagzagal 8y ago
  Most communities try and walk a fine line trying to prevent boom and bust cycles. While creative destruction is a necessary part of free market theory it is beyond scary when it comes to peoples communities. That fear and the reality that some of the losers of the market correction are people that one may know personally are why that true free market is never seen in housing.