[FredPret]

When the younger generation takes over, I predict a massive wave of construction globally. Most millennials have had it up to here both with high rent and the anti-development I've-already-got-my-own-house crowd that caused it.

[troyvit]

And I'll be the old guy yelling about it in the street. I've lived in the same town for most of my life, so I've seen it metastasize across the countryside, gobbling up farmland, wildlife habitat and open spaces, replacing them with McMansions, apartment buildings and Costcos, just to make room for more ... frikken ... people. It's like watching your best high school friend turn into a junkie whore before your eyes.

I don't know what the answer is, but there is something to be said for retaining some beauty at the expense of fewer people, and maybe rethinking the idea that growth is necessary to success, 'cause we're running out of room and that definition can't last forever.

[amanaplanacanal]

Long term we’ll have falling population, but right now the people looking for a place to live already exist. Not sure what you expect them to do.

[troyvit]

Yeah like I said, I don't know what the answer is. I just know what's getting destroyed.

[danielfoster]

This issue has been solved very well in other countries with medium and high-density construction. Many US communities feel overcrowded because they are low-density.

[troyvit]

Yeah I think you're right there, at least to a degree. So many American towns have really crappy zoning laws that limit the amount of high density construction, even though it's awesome for a tax base (especially if you allow for mixed use areas (which has the double benefit of helping mitigate food deserts)).

[FredPret]

Drama much? People need somewhere to live! Where?

Change is inherent in a situation where you have however many billion people we have now. We are a dynamic system, and a huge one.

[troyvit]

Literally the old guy yelling in the street, so yeah, drama much and much drama.

What you say is true, and also isn't anything new to the discussion. Change is awesome, and isn't even the point. It's more about the unsustainable quest for growth that is the foundation of our economy.

[carlosjobim]

That's a complete narcissistic take. Other people are crowding your view? Would it be possible for you to understand that you take up as much space as any other person? That you are crowding their view? "At the expense of fewer people" - do you want to start killing your fellow man?

[troyvit]

I don't know why you're getting downvoted, maybe the "narcissistic" part. Nah man I don't know what the answer is, only that I see the destruction happening. There has to be a more sustainable way to manage growth.

[pjc50]

> there is something to be said for retaining some beauty at the expense of fewer people

I'll let you argue with the "why aren't people having children any more?" people.