> The solution is to build more, and the success of Vienna does not come from public intervention but from the added supply. Tokyo is another city with famously cheap housing, and the secret is that they make it easy to build.

The other two secrets are tiny apartments (200-400 sqft), and an incredibly reliable public transportation system. Tokyo has a massive sprawl -- people can and do live far from their work. The average one-way commute time in the Tokyo metro area is almost an hour.