I lost a lot of hope for US housing when I went to an upzoning hearing for the first time a few weeks ago. The amount of fear-mongering vitriol and hatred over a proposal to up zone an area near the neighborhood (not even in it) to allow for town homes was unbelievable. If someone had told me “I went to the meeting and someone said…” for half the things I heard there, I would not have believed them.
People, especially older people, in the US so vehemently hate the idea of building more housing that they are willing the brandish weapons and make threats in public. They’re willing to use racial slurs and amp each other up with wild claims about crime in new buildings. And if you go on the YIMBY side to most of these things your voice will be drowned by panicking people who think more, slightly denser housing within biking distance, is a literal threat to their lives.
US housing supply is going to be screwed as long as local communities have a real say in upzoning and project proposals.