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As always comparing cities is problematic as there is no good way to determine what a city's boundaries are. The economic and transport autonomy/independence of

As always comparing cities is problematic as there is no good way to determine what a city's boundaries are. The economic and transport autonomy/independence of outer areas of each 'city' varies wildly (as well as density). Some of these cities will include vast areas which may be comparable to, but excluded from the other. Zoning alone doesnt solve affordability though (SF is probably the outlier in this case as growth has been constrained for so long). Much of it is down to economic issues and policy. In Japan prices fell drastically from the boom due to large scale debt restructuring which has also led to a decade of stagflation.

WildUtah 12y ago
In the US context, boundaries matter because there is a steep density gradient from center to suburb. There is a technique called weighted perceived density to fix the difference and make cities comparable. [0,1] Tokyo, Osaka, Mexico City, Seoul, and (to a lesser extent) Paris don't have steep gradients of density from center to edge and have better defined natural boundaries between urban and rural. The blending in the USA edge cities is the result of heroic subsidy levels and Stalinist command and control zoning and minimum free parking mandate policies. It is not natural or compatible with free markets. The areas I quoted in the USA (NY County, NY and SF County, CA) are very specific and not at all fuzzy. [0] http://austinzoning.typepad.com/austincontrarian/2008/03/perceived-densi.html http://austinzoning.typepad.com/austincontrarian/2008/03/per... [1] http://www.uctc.net/access/37/access37_sprawl.shtml http://www.uctc.net/access/37/access37_sprawl.shtml