11-06-2015, 12:44 PM
(11-06-2015, 12:16 PM)ookpik Wrote:(11-06-2015, 10:59 AM)Owen Wrote: So sure - it's unfortunate the the price of housing is going up - but that's not the fault of developers or politicians - that's just a fact of life...
I'm not suggesting that it is, only that the city and developers might have some obligation to provide lower cost housing for those who would otherwise be driven out. Note I'm asking, not telling. It does seem to me that as a society we have an obligation to help those less fortunate than we are. (I realize that this goes counter to libertarian doctrine. But fortunately that's not quite as popular here as it is to our south.) Most communities do provide subsidized housing of some sort, including in "gentrificatied" areas. Should we (have we) made any commitments of this sort in our current LRT plans?
I don't disagree with you - My point was that housing is simply expensive (whether you make the finishes 'luxury' or not.) If we want to help out members of society who need help affording it then some sort of subsidy or tax credit would probably be the most (only) effective way to do it - there's no magical way to build accommodation at dramatically lower prices because the lion's share of the cost is the basics (not the "luxury" finishing).