Sponsored link
Monday, June 15, 2026

Sponsored link

Why building more market-rate housing can’t possibly solve the city’s crisis

JULY 15, 2014 — Yesterday, we presented Part One of our Housing Video Series, explaining how San Francisco got into this mess. And in Part Two, we show how the “market-based solution” that the mayor and so many others appear to favor — just building and building for-profit market-rate housing — will eventually bring down costs.

Fact: We have abundant empirical data to show that’s just not true. Check out this video and understand why trickle-down housing economics won’t work in San Francisco — and to get a sense of what will.

By the way: If you want an idea of what happens to a city that is enamored of building highrise housing without much limit, check out Vancouver. Once a jewel of the West Coast, it now looks like … Hong Kong.  Or Miami Beach on steroids. And housing prices are still out of reach for many.

You want SF to look like this?
You want SF to look like this?

 

Tim Redmond
Tim Redmond
Tim Redmond has been a political and investigative reporter in San Francisco for more than 30 years. He spent much of that time as executive editor of the Bay Guardian. He is the founder of 48hills.

48 Hills welcomes comments in the form of letters to the editor, which you can submit here. We also invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Sponsored link

Sponsored link
Sponsored link

Latest

The terrifying agenda behind the billionaire-funded Abundance movement

Behind the Big Tech money machine is a vision for society that ought to make us all very, very scared

50 is the new 20, darling: Frameline Fest celebrates golden year of queer film

Stars past and present align for world's longest-running LGBTQ movie festival. Here's our inside guide.

Fresh Meat Fest serves queer Chinese dance, Puerto Rican disability drag flair

25th anniversary of queer arts showcase features sterling lineup of talent from all corners of the LGBTQ universe.

A week of budget protests as Lurie’s brutal cuts hit everyone except the cops

Plus: Letting big institutions off the planning hook—and yet another bizarre prosecution from DA Brooke Jenkins. That's The Agenda for June 14-19

You might also likeRELATED