The population hasn't increased tremendously, it's the price that has gone up. So it doesn't seem like excess population is probably the problem. You could la

The population hasn't increased tremendously, it's the price that has gone up. So it doesn't seem like excess population is probably the problem. You could lay the blame at demand for housing in cities (instead of supply). It seems less possible to make housing affordable by reducing demand though. I don't think it's wrong to dislike cities and to want to live in the suburbs or countryside. But people will need to commute longer and longer and pay more and more to landlords unless more housing is built. I think what makes sense is for the cities to expand to accommodate the demand, then be surrounded by suburbs. If the people who want to live in cities can live there, that should make the suburbs more affordable. And there is no way to have an affordable suburb right in the city anyway.