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Don't assume there is even a housing crisis. Not everyone can live in NYC, that is a simple fact. Or LA, or SF. It's physically impossible. If you think buildin

Don't assume there is even a housing crisis. Not everyone can live in NYC, that is a simple fact. Or LA, or SF. It's physically impossible. If you think building more housing lowers rent, then you've never been to a big city before.

novok 4y ago
But building more housing does lower rent in big cities? It's status quo in tokyo, and it even happened locally where a mini-condo boom caused condo prices to stay flat around that area, while SFH house prices went up. Condos in other regions nearby continued to go up in price, where there wasn't a condo building boom.
- TedShiller 4y ago
  Go to any big US city with dense housing and tell me rents there are low. For people always referencing Tokyo -- why aren't you living in Tokyo then?
  - singron 4y ago
    You really aren't talking about the same thing. It's not like you can add 100 housing units to an area one time and achieve affordable housing indefinitely. The housing units have to be added to meet increases in demand. The idea I think you are assuming is that supply causes demand (i.e. demand will always rise to meet supply), and that the supply-demand curve is flat to maintain price regardless of supply.
    - imtringued 4y ago
      The supply and demand curve of land is so steep and vertical you would think it should be impossible.
mjmahone17 4y ago
Manhattan has fewer residents today than it did in 1920. It also has much less building happening, and rents are higher now than they were in 1920 for the same square footage. Some of that is we don’t allow people to live in new boarding houses, some of it is that we downzoned the whole city multiple times, and there are a myriad of other reasons we should tackle as well. It may not be physically possible for the entire world to live in NYC, but we surely could double in population without breaking any real physical constraints. Besides the political constraints that make it absurdly expensive (in time, capital and social power) to build for more growth.
- TedShiller 4y ago
  > we surely could double in population without breaking any real physical constraints I'm sure you could also house a few extra people in need in your living room!

novok 4y ago

But building more housing does lower rent in big cities? It's status quo in tokyo, and it even happened locally where a mini-condo boom caused condo prices to stay flat around that area, while SFH house prices went up. Condos in other regions nearby continued to go up in price, where there wasn't a condo building boom.

TedShiller 4y ago
Go to any big US city with dense housing and tell me rents there are low. For people always referencing Tokyo -- why aren't you living in Tokyo then?
- singron 4y ago
  You really aren't talking about the same thing. It's not like you can add 100 housing units to an area one time and achieve affordable housing indefinitely. The housing units have to be added to meet increases in demand. The idea I think you are assuming is that supply causes demand (i.e. demand will always rise to meet supply), and that the supply-demand curve is flat to maintain price regardless of supply.
  - imtringued 4y ago
    The supply and demand curve of land is so steep and vertical you would think it should be impossible.

mjmahone17 4y ago

Manhattan has fewer residents today than it did in 1920. It also has much less building happening, and rents are higher now than they were in 1920 for the same square footage. Some of that is we don’t allow people to live in new boarding houses, some of it is that we downzoned the whole city multiple times, and there are a myriad of other reasons we should tackle as well. It may not be physically possible for the entire world to live in NYC, but we surely could double in population without breaking any real physical constraints. Besides the political constraints that make it absurdly expensive (in time, capital and social power) to build for more growth.

TedShiller 4y ago
> we surely could double in population without breaking any real physical constraints I'm sure you could also house a few extra people in need in your living room!