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Zoning only became the downfall of American public transit because constituents are selfish; when 80%+ of a county's residents are homeowners, they're incentivi
by judge2020 5y ago
Zoning only became the downfall of American public transit because constituents are selfish; when 80%+ of a county's residents are homeowners, they're incentivized to fight back against anything that would cause their home values to drop (including public transit due to the noise and apartments which would reduce demand for single family homes), and the local politicians are incentivized to listen lest they be ousted in the next election for working against the community's interests.
- mywittyname 5y ago> incentivized to fight back against anything that would cause their home values to drop That they perceive will cause their home values to drop. In reality, they use "home value" as a proxy for "my happiness" and tend to block things they don't like, without really considering the impact on prices. In very large cities, your SFH is worth a shitload more if someone can put an multi-tenant unit down on it. We still see the odd SFH or diner in NYC, which is now worth bajillions of dollars because the city was allowed to grow to be so dense. Increasing density is pro home values. Anyone fighting against it is absolutely leaving money on the table. They just don't realize it.