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Increasing supply in population centers also raises demand. Think about why it's in demand in the first place: it's because there is high density (and more oppo

Increasing supply in population centers also raises demand. Think about why it's in demand in the first place: it's because there is high density (and more opportunities).

AnimalMuppet 2y ago
Barring unlimited immigration, we could build enough high-density housing in cities to meet demand. (At least, we could if we fixed zoning.) (Or, we could in most cities. A few, like New York and San Francisco, are very limited in terms of available land.)
- wussboy 2y ago
  Zoning and parking minimums are the real problem. Ensure houses are safe (fire, collapse, etc.) and let the market decide where, when and what should be built.
  - infotainment 2y ago
    Exactly -- Tokyo has kept housing costs under control for this reason. There are zoning codes in Tokyo, but they're quite flexible compared to what people in the US are used to. In addition, perhaps most importantly, it's not possible to oppose construction, as opposed to the the US, where literally anyone can halt a construction project indefinitely for literally any bogus reason. "It might cast shade on 1 square foot of the street!"
    - brailsafe 2y ago
      It was a sad day when I learned there exist actual shade inspections as part of the development approval process in some places. I legit thought it was just a way to mock NIMBYs who say that stuff. It was on that day I kind of just stopped hoping for a better future in terms of housing.
  - mattmcknight 2y ago
    parking minimums are a red herring. zoning, absolutely. however, in a lot of places we have homeowners' associations as well. random density doesn't help much, need to build density near existing and planned infrastructure.
    - wussboy 2y ago
      > parking minimums are a red herring Care to explain more? I hard disagree, and I think the research is on my side.
      - mattmcknight 2y ago
        They are at best a very minor cost addition when it comes to large projects. I see more problems from insufficient parking which is why many of these exist in the first place. There is very little independent research into the topic, it's mostly from the anticar crowd.
- HeyImAlex 2y ago
  I feel like immigration is effectively unlimited from the perspective of big cities. There's friction moving states, and some things keep people anchored, but the market is nationwide. If you built enough in NYC to make rent comparable to other major cities, then significantly more people would want to move to NYC.
  - AnimalMuppet 2y ago
    From the perspective of any one big city, yes. From the perspective of, say, the top 20 cities in the country put together? No - not unless immigration into the country is unlimited.
- the_gipsy 2y ago
  You can't build faster than demand is rising (because building increases demand again). Except if demand goes down due to an external crisis. Or if you magically could double housing with a snap, but once again later once that new housing gets occupied... more density means more job means more opportunities. "Just build more" is not a solution on its own, at all.

Increasing supply in population centers also raises demand. Think about why it's in demand in the first place: it's because there is high density (and more opportunities).

AnimalMuppet 2y ago

Barring unlimited immigration, we could build enough high-density housing in cities to meet demand. (At least, we could if we fixed zoning.) (Or, we could in most cities. A few, like New York and San Francisco, are very limited in terms of available land.)

wussboy 2y ago
Zoning and parking minimums are the real problem. Ensure houses are safe (fire, collapse, etc.) and let the market decide where, when and what should be built.
- infotainment 2y ago
  Exactly -- Tokyo has kept housing costs under control for this reason. There are zoning codes in Tokyo, but they're quite flexible compared to what people in the US are used to. In addition, perhaps most importantly, it's not possible to oppose construction, as opposed to the the US, where literally anyone can halt a construction project indefinitely for literally any bogus reason. "It might cast shade on 1 square foot of the street!"
  - brailsafe 2y ago
    It was a sad day when I learned there exist actual shade inspections as part of the development approval process in some places. I legit thought it was just a way to mock NIMBYs who say that stuff. It was on that day I kind of just stopped hoping for a better future in terms of housing.
- mattmcknight 2y ago
  parking minimums are a red herring. zoning, absolutely. however, in a lot of places we have homeowners' associations as well. random density doesn't help much, need to build density near existing and planned infrastructure.
  - wussboy 2y ago
    > parking minimums are a red herring Care to explain more? I hard disagree, and I think the research is on my side.
    - mattmcknight 2y ago
      They are at best a very minor cost addition when it comes to large projects. I see more problems from insufficient parking which is why many of these exist in the first place. There is very little independent research into the topic, it's mostly from the anticar crowd.
HeyImAlex 2y ago
I feel like immigration is effectively unlimited from the perspective of big cities. There's friction moving states, and some things keep people anchored, but the market is nationwide. If you built enough in NYC to make rent comparable to other major cities, then significantly more people would want to move to NYC.
- AnimalMuppet 2y ago
  From the perspective of any one big city, yes. From the perspective of, say, the top 20 cities in the country put together? No - not unless immigration into the country is unlimited.
the_gipsy 2y ago
You can't build faster than demand is rising (because building increases demand again). Except if demand goes down due to an external crisis. Or if you magically could double housing with a snap, but once again later once that new housing gets occupied... more density means more job means more opportunities. "Just build more" is not a solution on its own, at all.