this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2023
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Build more houses. It's funking complicated eh. Same wankering issue in the UK. Oh the green belt, fuck off, there is plenty of room to build houses not on flood plains or protected sites.
Also whilst solving the problem please actually force builders to encorporate renewable energy, insulation and green space between houses.
Just building more doesn't help. That will cause more urban sprawl and make everyone's commute worse. Also, prices to more desirable locations in the city and close to work will just continue to go up. So rich folks can have a nice balanced lifestyle close to work while poor folks will suffer the long commute to their low paying job. Plus, just building more just means the property investors have more to gobble up.
Unless by build more you mean more higher density housing in the city.
Housing also needs some serious regulation. Tax the hell out of the rich guys owning multiple properties! Having less of these assholes buying "investment properties" is another way to increase supply. I now have friends who are paying more for rent than I pay for my mortgage. They'd buy if they could but they're stuck.
We have so much space to build within the confines of the greenbelt with density, and it doesn't only have to be in large cities. We could easily build millions of more homes and not only would that ease our housing prices with more supply, but it creates more livable communities. Building denser means we'd reduce traffic because communities can scale transit/walkability/active infrastructure, it'd reduce tax burdens because we service smaller areas, it'd reduce noise/air pollution/traffic injuries with fewer vehicles, all while improving economic opportunities for local businesses.
This is a proven model we've been using for thousands of years, and only since the rise of the automobile has this shifted in the 20th century. It's a no-brainer we should build homes it really is that simple.