| That's the optimistic case (a learning process for government). I think the pessimistic case is that foreigners+investors make convenient scapegoats, the public has reasonable demands but will fall for plans that sound good on paper and don't work, and entrenched interests ensure that the actual root causes will never be fixed. If you think about it, if 8 households want 5 housing units, there's just no way it can be affordable to all 8. Not by paying the 8 more, not by discouraging renting or owning, not by prohibiting investment etc. The only things I can think of that could actually solve the root cause are: 1) Build more housing 2) Increase the housing available somehow without building more (tax units that are left empty, allow renting places that weren't allowed before). 3) Decrease the demand for housing. Maybe try to drive high-paying jobs away, or try to raise the minimum wage high enough that business go under. Otherwise I just don't see anything else that could work, without creating some special class that gets affordable housing while everyone else doesn't (maybe the lucky people win government lotteries or inherit rent controlled apartments). |