I’d argue we don’t necessarily need more homes. I think what most cities need is really to end zoning.
There is more than enough commercial and industrial vacant properties over the US that could very feasibly be turned into residential housing to house every person ten times over.
Zoning really is the problem because developers are essentially being forced to build unwalkable communities. You’re just not allowed in many cities to buy old warehouse space and develop it into housing or to build small businesses (groceries, shops, etc) in areas zoned residential.
Ending/reforming zoning would solve so many issues… (I say /reforming because there are limits, most people don’t want to live 10ft from a factory). But I hardly hear anyone talking about it whether on Lemmy or in the media… but it seems like it would fix so many issues.
We had a help to buy scheme in the UK similar to what Harris is proposing. Spoiler warning: it didn’t help.
Only thing that will stem the demand is a massive house construction scheme and outright building new cities.
You don’t need more cities when there’s about 7 times the empty, perfectly functional living quarters for the amount of homelessness.
More houses is not the answer. There are plenty. Making more just make greedy capitalists more fuel.
Use what we got more efficiently.
I’d argue we don’t necessarily need more homes. I think what most cities need is really to end zoning.
There is more than enough commercial and industrial vacant properties over the US that could very feasibly be turned into residential housing to house every person ten times over.
Zoning really is the problem because developers are essentially being forced to build unwalkable communities. You’re just not allowed in many cities to buy old warehouse space and develop it into housing or to build small businesses (groceries, shops, etc) in areas zoned residential.
Ending/reforming zoning would solve so many issues… (I say /reforming because there are limits, most people don’t want to live 10ft from a factory). But I hardly hear anyone talking about it whether on Lemmy or in the media… but it seems like it would fix so many issues.
I remember when I went to Germany and saw apartments with stores on the ground floor, blew my child mind at the time but it’s so obvious it hurts.