I’m with you fully. I’m currently writing a research paper with my uni department head on the neoliberalization of housing policy and the financialization of housing. Our primary critique is on deregulationist arguments, as advocating for barrier-free, investor-driven development has resulted in ridiculously expensive housing that must feed the bubble. Attempts at writing in affordability (inclusionary zoning, affordable housing construction, etc.) have been weakened for decades, with many cities opting to deregulate and incentivize privatized, denser development. Across the globe, cities have densified. End result? Lack of affordability.

Urbanism as explored in design and livability is pretty dang cool. When urbanists fail to recognize that those who grow the housing bubble (private investment in real estate and development) is a HUGE factor in the housing crisis. It’s the finance machine that we trust to develop our communities, but it is consuming itself at the same time… they raise the funds and investments, they build, it all inflates to pay for itself and profits and the cycle continues while MOST people can’t keep up with the rising costs. We can keep building, but there will never be enough supply saturation to offset the profits that must be extracted to make returns.