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Who is actually building these barracks-style accommodations for minimum wage workers? That is something that occurred in the early days of industrialization,
by panglott 11y ago
Who is actually building these barracks-style accommodations for minimum wage workers?
That is something that occurred in the early days of industrialization, and still occurs in factory towns in newly industrializing economies, but not in the contemporary US. Where everyone is expected to finance a car and a single-family detached house.
- lotharbot 11y agoThis is a deep problem -- but not one to solve by messing with the minimum wage. It's largely a zoning issue. High-density housing lowers nearby property values (for many reasons), which means people tend to vote against policies that would allow it. See also the recent HN discussion about trailer parks: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9592812 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9592812
- rhino369 11y agoThe problem is letting local people vote for it at all.
- panglott 11y agoThere are real external costs that impact the neighborhood, but what's needed is a more rational way of managing local real estate externalities. A bad solution is a solution of a kind, even if it's not a very good one.
- panglott 11y agoYes, the original other way to read the image in the OP is as "localities with an insufficient supply of housing". Barracks-style housing is just so much further than higher-density housing though. About the only time true barracks accommodations are built is for factories or similar institutions in specific circumstances.
- rhino369 11y agoNobody is now, but 7.50 an hour could provide for that based on current residential space costs and food costs.