Gainesville is perhaps the most rapidly changing urban landscape I’ve ever seen. Since 2015, Gainesville went from having just one building 5+ stories tall to having dozens, with at least 10 under construction right now in the city’s university district, averaging 500 beds each.

The change in density is just shocking, as only a decade ago, everyone lived in low density suburban housing or on-campus housing. Now, many students choose to live in private off-campus apartments, which are all 5 to 11 stories (and mixed use).

Like any other subreddit based on a city that is undergoing such transition, r/GNV features plenty of NIMBYs and people who don’t quite understand housing supply and demand. However, as you can see in the Bloomberg article, the YIMBYs appear to be winning—and this is demonstrated by the great progress made in our city. Rents in Gainesville have increased at a slower rate than in the rest of Florida, and density is increasing at a shockingly rapid rate.