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