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Good urbanism should transcend politics. Socialists and capitalists can walk the same neighborhood and agree it\u2019s a pleasant place to live. They can each appreciate the tree canopy, the corner caf\u00e9 with people spilling onto the sidewalk, the mix of ages on bikes and on foot, the architectural details of older buildings, and so on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Whether they arrive by bus, bicycle, or car, or on foot, people across the political spectrum want the same thing: places that work for everyday life. Places that feel safe, accessible, and appealing for young and old alike.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unlikely alliances are forming around this shared vision. People who call themselves conservatives, liberals, capitalists, and socialists are standing at the same town hall podiums, calling for changes that a decade ago would have been dismissed as fringe. The YIMBY (yes in my backyard) movement is one of the easiest to put your finger on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
But there\u2019s one topic that these groups will continue fighting over: economics. Not who has more money, but fundamentally different views on how an economy thrives or dies. There\u2019s a broad consensus on the ends (safe transportation, abundant housing, etc.), but the means will be hotly contested. And the stakes are high enough that it\u2019s worth being honest about which approaches actually work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Without outside interference, a price tells builders, buyers, and investors where scarcity exists and what people are willing to trade for something they value. If everyone in a town has an apple tree, apples are cheap. If only one person does, apples are expensive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Nobel Prize winner Friedrich Hayek put it: Prices are \u201ca system of telecommunications.\u201d Prices aren\u2019t good or bad, they\u2019re indicators. Prices tell us something. When the price of small- and medium-size homes rises, it means there aren\u2019t enough of them to meet demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When governments intervene to put a limit on housing rent or to freeze prices, they\u2019re turning off the feedback loop that tells housing suppliers where housing opportunities exist. Rent control sounds compassionate, but the outcomes undermine the goal. It discourages new construction, incentivizes disinvestment by property owners, and traps existing tenants in place, all while locking out potential new renters. You can\u2019t balance supply with demand when the pricing mechanism is disabled. You can\u2019t build your way out of a crisis if builders can\u2019t read the signals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n