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> It’s still possibly self-inflicted but not by a simple reason like lack of supply. No, it's exactly that. It's just that pretty much all the Western countrie

> It’s still possibly self-inflicted but not by a simple reason like lack of supply. No, it's exactly that. It's just that pretty much all the Western countries put in a bunch of regulations that made it harder to build things. These were for nominally good reasons -- protecting the environment, not running roughshod over local interests, not putting in 'nuisance' properties/buildings, etc. -- but the end result is that the pendulum swung too far in the other direction and it got super hard to build. Ask developers or even random people who try to build a new house or expand on their existing house and you'll hear similar stories where even basic things are a nightmare bureaucracy seemingly aimed at killing your dreams. Contrast that with Japan, where building is more straightforward, and even Tokyo rents aren't too crazy, not compared to the biggest Western cities.

whoknowsidont 3y ago
> put in a bunch of regulations that made it harder to build things. Is it regulations? Or is it home-owners and realtors voting against expanded housing projects? The problem is if you build more houses, there's entire tranche of people whose "investments" will be worth less. And for some reason we're afraid to tell them it was a mistake.
- TulliusCicero 3y ago
  > Is it regulations? Or is it home-owners and realtors voting against expanded housing projects? Those are the same thing. One is a motivation for the other.
  - whoknowsidont 3y ago
    That's fair! I, probably unfairly, split up regulations and "regulations" based on who profits and why.
Incipient 3y ago
Japan/Tokyo is not a good example, or not equivalent, as they have a shrinking population. At least in Australia, we haven't really had a housing crisis like this for a while. For whatever reason demand for housing spiked at the same time as the cost of materials and labour did, hence building is now incredibly expensive.
- OccamsMirror 3y ago
  It's hard not to blame rampant immigration since COVID for Australia's housing woes.
- TulliusCicero 3y ago
  > Japan/Tokyo is not a good example, or not equivalent, as they have a shrinking population. It's a good example because Tokyo was still growing for a very long time and yet fairly had reasonable rents despite an enormous metro area population that's significantly larger than any Western city.

whoknowsidont 3y ago

> put in a bunch of regulations that made it harder to build things. Is it regulations? Or is it home-owners and realtors voting against expanded housing projects? The problem is if you build more houses, there's entire tranche of people whose "investments" will be worth less. And for some reason we're afraid to tell them it was a mistake.

TulliusCicero 3y ago
> Is it regulations? Or is it home-owners and realtors voting against expanded housing projects? Those are the same thing. One is a motivation for the other.
- whoknowsidont 3y ago
  That's fair! I, probably unfairly, split up regulations and "regulations" based on who profits and why.

Incipient 3y ago

Japan/Tokyo is not a good example, or not equivalent, as they have a shrinking population. At least in Australia, we haven't really had a housing crisis like this for a while. For whatever reason demand for housing spiked at the same time as the cost of materials and labour did, hence building is now incredibly expensive.

OccamsMirror 3y ago
It's hard not to blame rampant immigration since COVID for Australia's housing woes.
TulliusCicero 3y ago
> Japan/Tokyo is not a good example, or not equivalent, as they have a shrinking population. It's a good example because Tokyo was still growing for a very long time and yet fairly had reasonable rents despite an enormous metro area population that's significantly larger than any Western city.