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The point is that this is only one part of the problem. "Wealthy-ish local people" protesting a condo development is not enough to explain this absolute explosi

The point is that this is only one part of the problem. "Wealthy-ish local people" protesting a condo development is not enough to explain this absolute explosion in home prices. The government may be faceless, but there are lots of things that could have been done - including more "development-friendly" practices. However, there's always a cost - do you sacrifice environmental protections? Democratic government principles? You can't just blame whatever out-group you dislike at the moment. If those neighbors you described vanished as of 5 years ago, the prices of houses would have risen just the same. The reason that I blame government is because they explicitly had a responsibility to protect society from this. Officials have either neglected or outright contravened this responsibility.

davidw 5y ago
In the United States, by and large, zoning regulations are local, so they're set at the city level. Which makes it quite difficult to get rid of bad land use regulations that cause all kinds of problems. At a certain point, in a place like, say, Boulder, Colorado, it turns into a vicious circle: the only people who can afford to live there are wealthy boomer NIMBY types who will vote down anything to help housing affordability. For instance in that city it's illegal for more than 3 unrelated people to live in the same home. Local activists tried to get it overturned via an initiative, and it was voted down.
- ameminator 5y ago
  The US is a bit of a different animal (although it's comparable to Canada, which is what the original article discusses). To my understanding, there are no equivalent "town halls" that can block development - although it does seem to vary by province and municipality. Also, immigrants to Canada usually move to one of its three main metro areas - Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, which, coincidentally, have also seen the highest amount of housing increases. Other places, like Calgary or Winnipeg, have not had housing explode in the same way (although prices have risen in smaller amounts there as well). Keep in mind, the original article is focusing on Canadian housing, which, while complex, may be even simpler than the American model.

davidw 5y ago

In the United States, by and large, zoning regulations are local, so they're set at the city level. Which makes it quite difficult to get rid of bad land use regulations that cause all kinds of problems. At a certain point, in a place like, say, Boulder, Colorado, it turns into a vicious circle: the only people who can afford to live there are wealthy boomer NIMBY types who will vote down anything to help housing affordability. For instance in that city it's illegal for more than 3 unrelated people to live in the same home. Local activists tried to get it overturned via an initiative, and it was voted down.

ameminator 5y ago
The US is a bit of a different animal (although it's comparable to Canada, which is what the original article discusses). To my understanding, there are no equivalent "town halls" that can block development - although it does seem to vary by province and municipality. Also, immigrants to Canada usually move to one of its three main metro areas - Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, which, coincidentally, have also seen the highest amount of housing increases. Other places, like Calgary or Winnipeg, have not had housing explode in the same way (although prices have risen in smaller amounts there as well). Keep in mind, the original article is focusing on Canadian housing, which, while complex, may be even simpler than the American model.