A big and diverse public housing system is the only solution that makes holistic sense. It’a the only way we can be sure people can go to where jobs are without risking homelessness.
I like the model of forcing new construction projects to have some units setup for public housing while private owners buy or rent the rest.
It takes people from lower socioeconomic parts of society and pushes them to mix with folks who are on top.
Church used to do this before religion started to retreat from society.
Lack of mixing of classes is killing civil society in America.
second+ homes,
all rentals that cost more than 30% average area take home (with the top 10% of incomes removed). Scale said taxes with the cost of living in that area. Double the tax on short term stays in 'rentable units'. (E.g. airbnb).
Everyone deserves a place to call home that is safe, insulated from the elements, has plumbing, electricity, and internet at a fair price. I simply don't care if that makes housing speculation, land ownership, and utilities, unprofitable. Making a profit off of necessities is obscene. Eg everyone should have access to a basic internet package that costs around $10-30/mo for ~25mbps. Same for everything else. Everyone should get the minimum, and if they want more they need to find a way to earn more in a way that isn't extracting value from the vulnerable. Extract from the rich instead, or don't. You shouldn't starve to death under a bridge if you can't compete in a society that needs less unskilled labor every day.
Taxes will not discourage housing investment - they will be paid by renters as housing is driven by supply/demand. Why do we pretend we can regulate markets when all individuals (except unproductive government layer) benefit most if they are less regulated?
Deregulating house development will encourage many developers to build housing as there is huge demand for it. How come you offer looting other people before you offer removing obvious pillars for the developers?
That's not what I said.
>Taxes will not discourage housing investment - they will be paid by renters as housing is driven by supply/demand. Why do we pretend we can regulate markets when all individuals (except unproductive government layer) benefit most if they are less regulated?
Maybe tax is the wrong word. Fines might be better. These speculators consume wealth without doing work. When someone would rather leave units vacant than charge rational rates they hurt the market. When an entire industry does this they are extorting the most vulnerable. People without the means to move. People on fixed incomes. The disabled, the sick, minorities, etc. This is unconscionable behavior that should be illegal.
Are you in the business of home building?
The industry itself is rife with bad actors. Code gets ignored to save 20 minutes or 20 bucks. Want to report it? Snitches don't get work. Deregulation will only hurt people. Housing code is like osha. There are graves behind housing codes.
Perhaps you're talking about zoning regulations? Yeah. I'm fine with telling nimbys to get bent and building a 50 story apartment complex in their ocean view so that people have affordable places to live.