Too much to excerpt but the author hits all the key points…that rents rise with wages and landlords take the spoils, that the cost to build has not risen nearly as fast as the cost of the building site, that density drives innovation and wealth creation/opportunity, that reducing travel/commuting distance will reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change.
The question I have to ask after reading such a well-formed argument is, who doesn’t want all of that? Who doesn’t want an end to inequality and pollution and intergenerational unfairness? Ask yourself who didn’t want democracy or the emancipation of slaves and why? Who opposes trade unions or minimum wage laws and why? The potential gains are clear yet people will still hold onto their status, their power. The same people who rail against homeless encampments or panhandlers at traffic lights will vote against housing density or anything that affects “neighborhood character.”