After decades of explosive growth, Austin, Texas, in the 2010s was a victim of its own success. Lured by high-tech jobs and the city’s hip reputation, too many people were competing for too few homes. From 2010 to 2019, rents in Austin increased nearly 93%—more than in any other major American city. And home sale prices increased 82%, more than in any other metro area in Texas.
But how can that be? I get downvoted every time I try to point out that supply and demand is a thing and that the solution to the housing crisis is higher-density zoning, by people who insist the real problem is foreign investor boogeymen buying up all the housing and letting it sit vacant for the evulz.
Cant both things be true? I’m sure there are many factors like airbnb, zoning regulations, etc
Sure, if you have absolutely no sense of scale or proportion, or are trying to magnify the smaller cause to fit your NIMBY and/or racist agenda.
I can tell you that more people equals more problems, I’m living that right now where I live.
do you have more people than indian metros? or java island. if not, then no
Both can be true. But the bigger issue is much harder to solve. If a lot of people want to live in an area, and there isn’t enough space for all of them to live there, then prices will go up. You can build more housing units in the area, and that buys you time, but eventually you are left with the same problem.
The real solution is the area has to be able to expand. You need not just to build more housing, but to expand the residential area into the surrounding countryside. And do that in any sort of useful manner requires good public transportation. It requires building a walkable Urban core. Most cities don’t bother to do that.