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Most people would probably prefer to live in a cheap shack, if it was available and not in a crime-ridden area, if it meant getting back 50% of their income. Ho

Most people would probably prefer to live in a cheap shack, if it was available and not in a crime-ridden area, if it meant getting back 50% of their income. Housing does not need to be expensive to build, it's just modern "standards". Ford Model T cost $260 in 1925 ($4561 in current USD). But today's cars are closer to $40k. Things don't need to be so expensive, it's not all inflation - it's scope creep and bloat.

bobthepanda 3y ago
We can build to modern standards fine. The problem is usually you're not allowed to build at all. Nearly every jurisdiction in the west has tight supply caused by nothing except laws and zoning; there's nothing about the air or the dirt preventing a bigger building. I don't think people necessarily want to go back to the 1900s and share a ten square meter apartment with a 3-generation family, and then die in a fire because that's too many people to evacuate out of one door.
- throw9away6 3y ago
  Where we live you now need sprinklers installed in most units. It’s overkill for fire safety
  - Gigachad 3y ago
    Sprinklers are not overkill and I really doubt they add that much to the overall cost. What is overkill is parking. When I was looking at buying apartments, each car park cost $80,000 AUD.
lotsofpulp 3y ago
This: > Most people would probably prefer to live in a cheap shack, Correlates with: > if it was available and not in a crime-ridden area In a system where economic advantages agglomerate in a few areas, it would be difficult to create a place that is neither losing to the agglomerating areas, nor is declining itself. If it is an area where the economy is booming, then it will not be cheap. And if it is not an area that is moving upward, then it is moving downward, and with that comes a host of issues that can cause crime to proliferate. > Ford Model T cost $260 in 1925 ($4561 in current USD). But today's cars are closer to $40k. Far more capable and safer vehicles than a ford model T are available for far less than $40k. $20k cars are available, and while not quantifiably true, I think it is easy to say the $20k car of today is easily more than 4x capable and able to provide utility than a $4.5k model T.

bobthepanda 3y ago

We can build to modern standards fine. The problem is usually you're not allowed to build at all. Nearly every jurisdiction in the west has tight supply caused by nothing except laws and zoning; there's nothing about the air or the dirt preventing a bigger building. I don't think people necessarily want to go back to the 1900s and share a ten square meter apartment with a 3-generation family, and then die in a fire because that's too many people to evacuate out of one door.

throw9away6 3y ago
Where we live you now need sprinklers installed in most units. It’s overkill for fire safety
- Gigachad 3y ago
  Sprinklers are not overkill and I really doubt they add that much to the overall cost. What is overkill is parking. When I was looking at buying apartments, each car park cost $80,000 AUD.

lotsofpulp 3y ago

This: > Most people would probably prefer to live in a cheap shack, Correlates with: > if it was available and not in a crime-ridden area In a system where economic advantages agglomerate in a few areas, it would be difficult to create a place that is neither losing to the agglomerating areas, nor is declining itself. If it is an area where the economy is booming, then it will not be cheap. And if it is not an area that is moving upward, then it is moving downward, and with that comes a host of issues that can cause crime to proliferate. > Ford Model T cost $260 in 1925 ($4561 in current USD). But today's cars are closer to $40k. Far more capable and safer vehicles than a ford model T are available for far less than $40k. $20k cars are available, and while not quantifiably true, I think it is easy to say the $20k car of today is easily more than 4x capable and able to provide utility than a $4.5k model T.