> Absolutely no option to build more houses under any circumstances, of course. This is the US we're talking about, so yeah it's basically illegal to increase

> Absolutely no option to build more houses under any circumstances, of course. This is the US we're talking about, so yeah it's basically illegal to increase supply in a useful way, since the vast majority of the US is zoned for car-dependent single-family housing, which adds sprawls more than community. As for adaptability, they're talking about fluctuations, not sustained increase. A smaller town can't absorb large fluctuations without draining resources for unused housing once those fluctuations recede.