Great post, Russil! You're spot-on about Vancouver's housing crisis and the underused lever of land-use policy. Easing restrictions could unlock more affordable options, and cooperative housing models could amplify this by empowering communities to collectively own and manage homes, creating a stronger safety net for those most at risk. Keep pushing these ideas!
Yep. I started but didn't finish the book Homelessness is a Housing Problem, and it pointed this out early on, homelessness rates are lower in places where addiction rates are higher and absolute housing costs are lower, yet in expensive coastal cities, most people are so confused about the macro causes of homelessness and street disorder that they blame addiction to drugs. Of course, in individual cases, it is the case that addiction was a causal factor explaining why an individual became homeless, but at a macro scale it become obvious that the absolute cost of housing drives most homelessness.
I thought you were going to say housing is cheaper in the US South due to fewer land use restrictions there than in Blue cities. But no, you went to extra rooms.
Either way, I think housing is generally cheaper in Red states like Mississippi and Wyoming because there isn’t a growing population putting pressure in these less desirable places to live.
"I thought you were going to say housing is cheaper in the US South due to fewer land use restrictions there than in Blue cities. But no, you went to extra rooms."
I skipped a step there: yes, housing is cheaper in the US South because cities there build a lot more housing. It's not lack of demand, they're growing faster than the coastal cities. https://x.com/StatisticUrban/status/1964873805333172521
Great post, Russil! You're spot-on about Vancouver's housing crisis and the underused lever of land-use policy. Easing restrictions could unlock more affordable options, and cooperative housing models could amplify this by empowering communities to collectively own and manage homes, creating a stronger safety net for those most at risk. Keep pushing these ideas!
Yep. I started but didn't finish the book Homelessness is a Housing Problem, and it pointed this out early on, homelessness rates are lower in places where addiction rates are higher and absolute housing costs are lower, yet in expensive coastal cities, most people are so confused about the macro causes of homelessness and street disorder that they blame addiction to drugs. Of course, in individual cases, it is the case that addiction was a causal factor explaining why an individual became homeless, but at a macro scale it become obvious that the absolute cost of housing drives most homelessness.
Thanks for sharing
Subrata
I thought you were going to say housing is cheaper in the US South due to fewer land use restrictions there than in Blue cities. But no, you went to extra rooms.
Either way, I think housing is generally cheaper in Red states like Mississippi and Wyoming because there isn’t a growing population putting pressure in these less desirable places to live.
Growth = increased demand = higher prices.
"I thought you were going to say housing is cheaper in the US South due to fewer land use restrictions there than in Blue cities. But no, you went to extra rooms."
I skipped a step there: yes, housing is cheaper in the US South because cities there build a lot more housing. It's not lack of demand, they're growing faster than the coastal cities. https://x.com/StatisticUrban/status/1964873805333172521