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I fail to see how these are in contention. Our (American) lack of HSR actually _decreases_ individual choice. Instead of having the extra option of convenient

• lotsofpulp 5y ago
  America puts a premium on the freedoms of current landowners. All the land has been allocated already. The price required to obtain the necessary land for nationwide HSR would be a nonstarter in the current legal system. Only a top down system where the individual land owners get less than what they expect like China would make it possible. Even the interstate highway system would not work today. It only worked in the 50s to 80s because it cut through minority neighborhoods who could not afford and did not have the knowledge of being able to use the courts to prevent it without earning top dollar for giving up their land.
  • danny_codes 5y ago
    America _currently_ puts a premium on freedoms of current land owners. However, as land ownership demographics shift I would imagine the political calculus changes in-kind. That being said, the rural-urban divide also divides this issue: rural counties have higher levels of property ownership. Given America's political geography (heavily favoring rural areas), land-use reform will likely take longer to enact, regardless of (urban-driven) necessity for reform. I could see actors at the state level implement measures to more fairly regulate land-use though, so perhaps change could come to more urban states sooner.