Greetings, rent-paying Americans! Today's post is about a subject near and dear to my heart: What California can learn about housing from Tokyo!
bloomberg.com/view/articles/…
bloomberg.com/view/articles/…
California is (finally) taking a few (modest) steps to address its housing shortage. 
But there is still pushback - from landowners afraid of falling house prices, from people who don't want to change "neighborhood character", and from a few misguided environmentalists who don't realize density is good for the environment.
For an example of how to really do housing right, California has only to look at its neighbor across the Pond:
Tokyo.
Tokyo.
Tokyo's population keeps growing.
And Tokyo just keeps on building.
And Tokyo just keeps on building.
And Tokyo builds upward. It keeps increasing density.
But its floor space per person keeps increasing, too. Tokyo is not forcing people into smaller and smaller homes. Quite the opposite, in fact.
jamesjgleeson.wordpress.com/2018/02/19/how…
But its floor space per person keeps increasing, too. Tokyo is not forcing people into smaller and smaller homes. Quite the opposite, in fact.
jamesjgleeson.wordpress.com/2018/02/19/how…
How does Tokyo accomplish this amazing feat?
Three secrets:
1. National government control over housing policy
2. Super-simple zoning rules
3. Great public transit
Three secrets:
1. National government control over housing policy
2. Super-simple zoning rules
3. Great public transit
In America, there is very little chance that the federal government will intervene to make cities densify.
That task must instead fall to state governments, like California's.
That task must instead fall to state governments, like California's.
I have a vision for San Francisco. It's from the Disney movie Big Hero 6.
It's called "San Fransokyo".
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It's called "San Fransokyo".
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