I never understood this kind of thinking. When 50-60% of humanity live in urban areas why is this an argument that people use? Should people live in cities and then move out to the country when they retire? Shouldn't the answer to this be to make these cities more affordable by building additional housing?

For housing in a city, it makes sense to me to always increase supply such that every place in the USA costs the same. This allows people to move freely, it allows people to congregate with other smart people and have "intellectual density", it allows wealthy investors to live next to struggling bohemian artists, and allows the average Joe to experience all of this just by virtue of existing in that place. I understand there are constraints on land but it's bizarre to me that people have accepted the idea that these places are just naturally "HCOL" locations and not that they have been homogenized and sanitized into this type of place.

> They chose to live in a high cost of living area.

Millions of people are born in HCOL areas and make their lives there. We shouldn't ask them to leave.