The federal government should step in. Give San Francisco four years to build the 76,000+ homes it needs. If the city fails, impose a substantial penalty for every unit missed and authorize the federal government to take over suitable public land and build the housing itself. At some point, housing shortages require consequences.

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pibaker 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

I don't think the local political mess in San Francisco warrants breaking two hundred years of federalism. Nothing does, really.

Also worth keep in mind the US tried mass public housing projects in the 60s. And then they stopped because they all ended up being crime ridden shitholes.

	▲	phlakaton 2 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Those were arguably due to neglect rather than public housing being problematic per se. Perhaps the same thing would happen if the Feds tried it again; perhaps the neglect is a practically unavoidable consequence given our politics. But I think it should still be on the table. We tilted at the Bank of the US a few times before figuring out the Federal Reserve, after all. But I agree, it would be far preferable to let property developers solve this problem. I support regional and state-level interventions and accountability. I don't want this particular federal administration within a thousand miles of the problem!
	▲	grackasthebig 2 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		"It's full of bad ideas/effort like 1960s housing projects, but that's no reason to chuck 200 years of idiocy in the bin."

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JumpCrisscross 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Carrots work better. Bankroll HSR and the burying of PG&E’s power lines in exchange for Sacramento forcing San Francisco to build. Tie funding distribution to actual housing starts.