Quote:
Originally Posted by Dale
Housing advocates are giddy about Austin’s rent rates collapse.
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I think the US can be weird on what it perceived to be good news vs. bad news.
“Collapse” for example itself is such a negative word. The rent trends, especially when we consider the actual urban housing, has been blowing wage growth by staggering numbers. Imagine if wages grew YoY like they had in Austin - it’d be insane.
But when we look at apartment units and data, it’s mixed with the more lower cost garden-styles on the fringes of cities with walkscores in the single digits.
Urban living shouldn’t be such a luxury, and if it is, there should be at least more amenities…
but I think housing advocates want to see rents stabilize, reforms that make urban living more accessible as there are a lot of societal benefits as well as being cheaper and better for the environment for society overall with infrastructure, efficient land use etc. Urbanity in many U.S. cities can be for those in poverty (with inadequate transit, etc) and those wealthier citizens, no children, etc.
At least that’s my take as someone who wants urbanity to be more accessible, affordable, etc in our cities.