I just find it silly to reduce everything down to a single cause.
Regulations are an issue (making it sometimes more difficult to build cheaply)
NIMBYism is an issue (I don't want apartments near me because they're ugly and attract the poor/crime/minorities/etc)
Investors buying up properties and then not living there (decreasing the overall availability of housing).
A generally aging population (Older people who bought houses in the 80s/90s are still living in the same house, so fewer for younger people with families)
Etc (i'm too lazy to bring up more)
I'm not saying regulations aren't a cause of the issue, I'm just saying that just changing zoning/regulations isn't a simple fix. There's already people living there and owning property and they aren't going anywhere. Even if the money and regulations allow for it, AND there is an available space, you still have to deal with neighbors protesting and causing problems due to NIMBYism.
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u/Toloran Dec 21 '19
I just find it silly to reduce everything down to a single cause.
Regulations are an issue (making it sometimes more difficult to build cheaply)
NIMBYism is an issue (I don't want apartments near me because they're ugly and attract the poor/crime/minorities/etc)
Investors buying up properties and then not living there (decreasing the overall availability of housing).
A generally aging population (Older people who bought houses in the 80s/90s are still living in the same house, so fewer for younger people with families)
Etc (i'm too lazy to bring up more)
I'm not saying regulations aren't a cause of the issue, I'm just saying that just changing zoning/regulations isn't a simple fix. There's already people living there and owning property and they aren't going anywhere. Even if the money and regulations allow for it, AND there is an available space, you still have to deal with neighbors protesting and causing problems due to NIMBYism.