this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2024
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Density zoning is the source of the housing crisis.
People think it's market forces that have created the housing crisis, but it is exactly the opposite: government ha been artificially restricting supply for decades.
There are so many places where 100 units is a more profitable use of land than 10 units, but it's prevented by density zoning.
The people who have the most wealth and power over the markets are the very same people who bribe / lobby/ donate to politicians to write the zoning laws that contribute to the housing crisis.
Consider this, you are a wealthy property developer. Are you going to lobby the government to do things to bring down the cost of housing? Fuck no. You're going to do the opposite. The more expensive housing is the more money you make.
People need to realize the US only pretends to be a democracy. We get to pick which individuals get to sell us out to the lobbyists and donors and without fail both parties put on a big show of political theater but then meet with lobbyists in private and sell us out. A democratic republic if only democratic if the elected reps represent the will of the people, which they don't.
I would even argue that a two party system is deeply undemocratic and that we will never be a real democracy until we adopt a multiparty system, ban super PAC donations, and ban paid lobbyists.
It's not just the property developers. Most people who've spent a year or more paying off their mortgages don't want their asset devalued by ending the housing crisis. No government would bring down the cost of housing because democracy will prevent it until renters are a majority of sufficient size to overwhelm homeowners, landlords, vested interests, and the dumbfucks they gaslight.