4 ms·
> Like all cities in areas with heavy-handed zoning regulations, abuse of historic preservation clauses, and filibuster-style city council meetings blocking new
by sofixa 5y ago
> Like all cities in areas with heavy-handed zoning regulations, abuse of historic preservation clauses, and filibuster-style city council meetings blocking new construction...the issue is one of supply.
> It's the same problem in literally every developed country on earth right now.
The problem with making generalisations is that you're often wrong. The French real estate market has problems, with prices rising in some city cores ( mostly Paris), but it's not nearly as bad as many other places due to a myriad of factor and policies, like decent to good public transit ( which is undergoing massive upgrades) to nearby dense "suburbs", multiple programmes encouraging newbuilt homeownership and buy-to-let (at fixes prices) through lower taxes or cheaper loans. Paris is expensive, but you can get a much cheaper appartement or house within train distance. Of course, for newbuilt waiting lists are at ~2 years due to demand, but there's a lot of supply being built constantly, in Paris and around it - entire neighborhoods or former industrial areas are getting razed to the ground and rebuilt as decently dense (5-6 floor) appartement buildings. And that's just Paris, most other cities are better.
All that while there's very strict zoning, high building standards, lots of protections for tenants and buyers, including rent controls, hard rules around eviction and absolutely crazy preservation rules.
I know people who can't cut the dangerous trees in their yard because their yard is visible ( less than 1km) from the roof of a church which is a national monument, and they need approval from the Architects of France.
- pembrook 5y agoIn the case of Paris, it could also just be that the population of metro-Paris isn't actually growing much. Toronto's population is growing at double the rate of Paris. And London, Stockholm, and Sydney's populations are growing even faster than Toronto. No surprise that faster growing populations lead to worse housing supply issues.
- wbsss4412 5y agoI’m not sure that you’ve made the case that they are wrong strongly enough. Does France have heavy handed zoning and historic preservation policies? Sure. But you aren’t getting 5-6 story multi family buildings constructed at a face pace in major metro areas. In many places, such construction in prohibited entirely by also how family zoning. And while France may protect historic monuments like an old church. “Historic preservation” in North America often implies restrictions on building in a single family residential area that was built in the 1920s. Your post does show, however, that restrictions don’t have to be eased all that much, but unfortunately it’s a lot easier in North America to lay the blame all on foreigner and other greedy people, than regular homeowners who show up to city council and lose it over a multi story senior center from going into their neighborhood.
- sofixa 5y ago> But you aren’t getting 5-6 story multi family buildings constructed at a face pace in major metro areas. In many places, such construction in prohibited entirely by also how family zoning. Of course you are. Tons! They sell like hot bread ( as in within weeks of starting sales all appartements are sold, with 1.5-3 years of waiting for the construction to finish), and cost an arm and a leg in the really fancy parts of the metro area ( the Western suburbs).
- wbsss4412 5y agoI was referring to North America (had a typo in there, should have said “at a France pace”, ie france is building these and NA is not), I get the sense your comment here is in reference to France?
- twofornone 5y ago>The problem with making generalisations is that you're often wrong Generalisations are like models. They're not necessarily 100% correct or applicable but they can still be useful.