The only problem I see is the buildings aren’t tall enough. If we want to end the cost of living crisis, we need affordable housing stock and lots of it. To get that, we need to build. To build to meet demand, we need flexible zoning.
The Bay Area should copy Tokyo, the largest metropolis on the planet which is also in an earthquake zone and has relatively affordable housing with excellent neighborhoods.
Tokyo is not even close to being affordable? A 25m2 1bd is still roughly 1400 usd per month. You can get it down to 800 usd ish if you only want a small 15m2 studio. Those kinds don’t come with any kitchen and you only have a mini fridge. And that’s just the rent alone.
Then you get hit with the tokyo salary which depending on the sector you work in could be 20 to 60 percent of a pay cut. The median salary is about 40k usd in Tokyo.
Like sure there are benefits but Tokyo is not affordable, just look at the rise of adults in their 20s and 30s living with their parents in Japan, and even the rise of unemployed throughout asia (south korea and japan leading this metric)
Edit: i forgot exponent sign is considered formatting
California NIMBYs are the worst in the country.
The only problem I see is the buildings aren’t tall enough. If we want to end the cost of living crisis, we need affordable housing stock and lots of it. To get that, we need to build. To build to meet demand, we need flexible zoning.
The Bay Area should copy Tokyo, the largest metropolis on the planet which is also in an earthquake zone and has relatively affordable housing with excellent neighborhoods.
Tokyo is not even close to being affordable? A 25m2 1bd is still roughly 1400 usd per month. You can get it down to 800 usd ish if you only want a small 15m2 studio. Those kinds don’t come with any kitchen and you only have a mini fridge. And that’s just the rent alone.
Then you get hit with the tokyo salary which depending on the sector you work in could be 20 to 60 percent of a pay cut. The median salary is about 40k usd in Tokyo.
Like sure there are benefits but Tokyo is not affordable, just look at the rise of adults in their 20s and 30s living with their parents in Japan, and even the rise of unemployed throughout asia (south korea and japan leading this metric)
Edit: i forgot exponent sign is considered formatting
The retail salary to housing ratio is much better in Tokyo. Then add the much cheaper/extensive transit.
Tokyo is affordable, don’t cherry pick expensive areas
$1,400 a month for a one bedroom is quite good in comparison. San Francisco runs about $3,200/month for a one bedroom.