[hydrogen7800]

>What is the incentive for a developer to build affordable housing? The margins are surely much lower.

This makes sense to me, and I hear it all the time, but when was it ever in a builder's interest to make affordable housing? Why does this perverse incentive seem like a recent thing?

[donatj]

My wild guess would be urban renewal grants and drastically lower land costs made it easier to recoup investments. I'm sure that's only part of the equation though. Part of it is probably also just the realization they could be making more money.

[kjkjadksj]

A house used to be simpler, materials cheaper, permitting nearly nonexistent, and a crew much less skilled and compensated.