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Comment by lawnchair_larry | Hacker News Reader

Has nothing to do with rent seeking. Density ruins neighborhoods.

There is a place between sprawl and skyscrapers: 4-6 story buildings are considered ideal by city planners (IIRC) because you get pretty good density (i.e. low distance to work/shopping and so on) while still feeling familiar (you know your neighbours, there are public spaces to hang out on or do sports etc.).

Copenhagen ist built almost completey like that and has a population of about 800k. It feels great: Quite urban, with many cafés and small shops, while still feeling friendly and human. Much of Berlin is also like that.

They are starting to do some of that in Austin. The lower levels are supposed to be businesses, but the rent on them is way too high and the businesses go under regularly. Something still not worked out about that.

If you want low density, don't let employers move in and create lots of jobs.

But if you do allow job creation, while not creating housing for the people working those jobs, that absolutely is rent seeking.

> Density ruins neighborhoods

Can you give examples?

Well, for one, while there are some conflicting results, there is lots of research pointing to high-density housing leading to elevated rates of violent crime.

e.g., https://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/13030.html

Increased traffic and related issues if housing is added without new roads, traffic signals, etc... Increased 911 response times, food deserts and the related social problems, air quality problems for increased traffic and so on. Tnstaafl

We can’t let our kids and our dogs out in the yard to play. This is hugely valuable to some people, and it’s why they chose the neighborhoods that they did. You probably got to do that as a kid.

Nothing to do with rent seeking. The only thing increased property value does is make property tax and excise tax go up. Nobody cares about that. We don’t want a condo building dropped on both sides of us. Who would?

Can you explain how having buildings erected on adjacent (i.e. not your) property prevents you from using your yard however you want?

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