Are you mad because the cities got so large that everyone can't afford a home in the middle of it?
No, cities should grows as necessary. I'm bothered that the tax incentives and zoning laws prevent the productive use of land to support economic growth and prosperity.
Are you mad because the cities got so large that everyone can't afford a home in the middle of it?
Obviously highly-central/luxury/beachfront/etc property will be out of reach for most people. But those aren't the $1 million shacks I'm describing in LA or San Francisco.
Are you wanting to allow people to build homes right up to the curbs to make room for everyone?
I'm wanting the government to stop NIMBY policies that effectively prevent new development and redevelopment. There are plenty of lots that could be redeveloped, but government policies effectively make it impossible to put this land to better use.
Are you upset that there are not many more low income high-rises in the middle of the city?
It doesn't have to be an either-or scenario between single family homes and high rises. There are medium density options that make cities very livable. Currently zoning restrictions make these quite difficult to develop. This government interference needs to stop.
Are you upset because someone needs to commute long distances between their homes and job because housing is crazy expensive near their employment?
Urban sprawl and long commutes definitely are a problem and have to do with this, but zoning isn't the sole cause.
Here's a pretty good summary of the ideas of Georgism. I don't agree with all policy suggestions, but it is definitely a fresh perspective that many people aren't familiar with. And it addresses many of these issues of more productive use of land, a fairer tax code, etc.
We'll check out the link to Georgism.
At first glance, especially after seeing the Astral Codex Ten graph suggests to me the issue is the US's relegation to a service economy. The prices that went down are mainly imported goods that we can't produce or can't produce cheaply.
I'll look more later. :-)
Yeah, there is definitely the general pattern of imported and manufactured goods don't inflate while the cost of services (healthcare, education, etc) have gone up a ton in the last 50 years; your TV, clothes, and furniture are now very affordable while a doctors appointment or university costs have grown massively. That's due to globalization and the Fed printing money.
The interesting question about housing (especially in the last 10 years) is why are there these magnificent property bubbles in all the big global cities (Paris, NYC, San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, Stockholm, Sydney, Auckland, Berlin, etc)? These are not the same countries, so the explanatory factor can't be limited to what's happening in the US.
I believe we're in agreement issues caused by politicians that want a new pool and land developers.
I didn't say that we started from the bottom. I said we started with only the love of our parents and determination. What a person does to earn enough income to do something meaningful with it requires sacrifice. The working 3-4 distasteful jobs while taking a full course load. The living in a walk-up studio apartment for 12 years to save enough to fund a business venture sort of sacrifice.
When a person is dissatisfied with their living/working situation, they need to begin looking for a way away from that situation, not a way to dig in deeper.
But I'm not exactly sure, even what you're griping about.
Are you mad because the cities got so large that everyone can't afford a home in the middle of it?
Are you wanting to allow people to build homes right up to the curbs to make room for everyone?
Are you upset that there are not many more low income high-rises in the middle of the city?
Are you upset because someone needs to commute long distances between their homes and job because housing is crazy expensive near their employment?
I really do want to know. I read your post and it seems like a rant to increase overcrowding urban in areas and remove the zoning regulations.