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by cyberax 883 days ago
> At the same time, many, many people love it.

Sure. That's what people tell themselves. Realistically, most people would prefer to live in a less dense area, but they can't do that because there are no jobs for them there.

> In NYC alone millions of people pay astronomical rents and mortgages for the privilege of living in tiny spaces in close quarters, no yards, etc.

Exactly. And it's getting _worse_ with every generation, right now NYC is at 530 square ft. per capita, down from 700 in 1980. It's even worse for Manhattan.

> It's not 'misery central', just something where you have a different preference.

Yes, it's misery central.

> Where does that come from? I understand we won't all have data all the time (I sure don't always), but until then, it's words.

I analyzed a database of all real estate sales in the US for the last 25 years. There is plenty of other research that found similar results. The _best_ outcome was something like transient single-digit percentage decreases in rents near new construction.

I don't have the links on my phone, but you can google the "Supply Skepticism" paper from the Furman Center. It's a nice overview of the literature, and it's written from the viewpoint of pro-density (to prevent questions about bias).

1 comments

> Realistically, most people would prefer to live in a less dense area, but they can't do that because there are no jobs for them there.

Do you have evidence? I have the evidence of millions of people and the demand for downtowns. Otherwise, you possibly are assuming that people must feel like you do.

perhaps fucking americans hate fucking american cities?
Nope. People in general prefer to avoid large and dense cities ( https://afry.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/new-survey-shows... ).

It's just that only the US offers an affordable option to live in spacious suburbs. Europe simply doesn't have anything similar.

sure, jan. (and may i recommend reading the links that you post before you post them? it's bloody useful.)