> The problem here is that you can't really build "affordable housing" any more than you can build "affordable cars"

Of course you can. Ever been inside a commieblock in a former Soviet Union country? They're actually pretty sustainable and efficient, and were relatively cheap to construct. They're also ugly and lack natural light, and the stairwells reek of cigarettes etc. etc..

We haven't been tearing housing projects in the US down because they aren't sustainable, but because people don't like living in them, and they tend to have high crime rates. Since the Reagan administration we've decided the market can provide better options, and essentially banned new public housing. But has it provided better options? Does it feel like this is working?