4 ms·

If the problem really is lack of housing, why don't we build high-density cheap container-hotels like they have in Japan? A very small living space would at le

If the problem really is lack of housing, why don't we build high-density cheap container-hotels like they have in Japan? A very small living space would at least provide a safety net.

paulpauper 4y ago
the usual factors: zoning, nimbyism , and also it has to be in proximity of jobs.
- warning26 4y ago
  Yup -- there was a great article on HN a while back about why zoning in Japan works so much better than zoning in the US: http://urbankchoze.blogspot.com/2014/04/japanese-zoning.html http://urbankchoze.blogspot.com/2014/04/japanese-zoning.html TL;DR: You can build housing almost anywhere if there exists demand.
  - ianai 4y ago
    In the US, too, it seems like there's a high amount of empty commercial/industrial real estate. Zoning keeps it from being usable by anything else. I also often wonder if something like a hybrid employee owned business+occupant owned housing could ever be bootstrapped. Something to function like a small village in the modern era/larger surrounding. But that wouldn't just be a hippy/cult commune.
    - bsder 4y ago
      > In the US, too, it seems like there's a high amount of empty commercial/industrial real estate. Zoning keeps it from being usable by anything else. Nope, the finance agreements keep that space empty. Missing rent can generally be tacked onto the end of your financing. Lower rent causes the basis of your finance agreement to change and you will have to cough up cash. So, owners are willing to let spaces sit empty for years to avoid having to paying cash (which they probably don't have) to the bank. It's all musical chairs until higher interest rates cause a few failures which cascades through the entire system.
      - ianai 4y ago
        That’s definitely worse.
      - aeternum 4y ago
        Yeah this is something that can easily be solved by a vacancy tax. It provides city revenue on top of fixing the economic deadweight loss, a double-win from an economic POV. Good to see SF at least is moving in that direction.
- aeternum 4y ago
  The government controls zoning and is already negotiating with new developers and nimby's to put in affordable housing
bergenty 4y ago
That’s what project housing was. The US doesn’t have the same compliant kinds of poor people like Japan.

If the problem really is lack of housing, why don't we build high-density cheap container-hotels like they have in Japan? A very small living space would at least provide a safety net.

paulpauper 4y ago

the usual factors: zoning, nimbyism , and also it has to be in proximity of jobs.

warning26 4y ago
Yup -- there was a great article on HN a while back about why zoning in Japan works so much better than zoning in the US: http://urbankchoze.blogspot.com/2014/04/japanese-zoning.html http://urbankchoze.blogspot.com/2014/04/japanese-zoning.html TL;DR: You can build housing almost anywhere if there exists demand.
- ianai 4y ago
  In the US, too, it seems like there's a high amount of empty commercial/industrial real estate. Zoning keeps it from being usable by anything else. I also often wonder if something like a hybrid employee owned business+occupant owned housing could ever be bootstrapped. Something to function like a small village in the modern era/larger surrounding. But that wouldn't just be a hippy/cult commune.
  - bsder 4y ago
    > In the US, too, it seems like there's a high amount of empty commercial/industrial real estate. Zoning keeps it from being usable by anything else. Nope, the finance agreements keep that space empty. Missing rent can generally be tacked onto the end of your financing. Lower rent causes the basis of your finance agreement to change and you will have to cough up cash. So, owners are willing to let spaces sit empty for years to avoid having to paying cash (which they probably don't have) to the bank. It's all musical chairs until higher interest rates cause a few failures which cascades through the entire system.
    - ianai 4y ago
      That’s definitely worse.
    - aeternum 4y ago
      Yeah this is something that can easily be solved by a vacancy tax. It provides city revenue on top of fixing the economic deadweight loss, a double-win from an economic POV. Good to see SF at least is moving in that direction.
aeternum 4y ago
The government controls zoning and is already negotiating with new developers and nimby's to put in affordable housing

bergenty 4y ago

That’s what project housing was. The US doesn’t have the same compliant kinds of poor people like Japan.