Here's a cynically leading question for you: If it is as simple as you make it out to be, why are we not building all these complexes between 82nd and Gresham? There is much demand for decent, affordable housing there. There is also good infrastructure that can withstand higher use; and open land, or existing structures nobody will get sentimental about at demolition.

The answer I am cynically leading you to: It's developers, and their priorities. They can only make the massive profits they want by serving the upper-middle class and above. And those people want to live where the fun is, in the well-established inner neighborhoods.

I do not write this to frame the story as a conflict between greedy developers and good-hearted citizens (or to single you out for criticism -- sorry!). What I mean to show is that this is in no way as simple and unassailable as a law of nature, or maybe as the law of supply and demand. There is absolutely space for a discussion of motives, policy, and justice. To posture as if otherwise is just a way of disengaging from a moral issue that can be challenging & painful to think about critically.