The problem is that democracy doesn't seem to be working well on that level and is negatively impacting people outside that narrow scope as well. If you poll p

The problem is that democracy doesn't seem to be working well on that level and is negatively impacting people outside that narrow scope as well. If you poll people if we should build more in their city, you get a majority in favor. Then you get community meetings in which a vocal minority that can actually afford (typically better off and older) to go to community meetings and create pressure shoot down projects or cripples them. On a larger scope you have folks who are denied economic opportunity due to housing policy that gets set by people who are already in, but kick away the ladder for everyone else. As a concrete example, I know lots of people who'd love to live (again) in SF in part due to the job market, but cannot or it would be super hard for them.