Don't demolish existing buildings
Status quo, and why it's a problem
This section has not been filled in yet. discussion Older homes & buildings are demolished to make room for new ones ~ In some cases, it barely increases the housing supply at all ~ And when it does, it does so very inefficiently. For the same amount of materials & labor, they could have kept the old and built the new ~ Huge environmental footprint - even when you factor in the land use ~ Drives up the price of materials ~ Drives up the price of construction labor (especially as there's such a shortage of trades workers) ~ Drives up the price of housing for everyone ~ Benefits only the rich (gentrification) ~ Why it happens: Shortage of good locations, so prime real estate goes to the highest bidder. The land is valued so high that whoever buys it wants to get their money's worth - so they spend a lot of resources renovating to satisfy their tastes ~ So in a certain sense, rich people's preferences override poor people's needs
Better solutions
This section has not been filled in yet. discussion be sure to make clear that condemned buildings should still be demolished of course, if they're structurally unsound or whatnot