Taxation and the middle class

[nms]

I know that there are brighter minds that can (or maybe have) figured this out, but is there a certain "Goldilocks density" and an associated property tax level that could keep Regional and City services functioning and infrastructure in good repair?  For instance, larger cities such as Toronto struggle with a lower than average tax rate that has meant decades of deferred maintenance.  Toronto also offers the option for residents to defer the taxes they owe until the property sells as a way to allow those in neighbourhoods where property values have spiked to remain in their homes without being forced out due to high property taxes.

On a related note, here is a 2014 article on Goldilocks density:

Economists such as Ed Glaeser would flatten neighbourhoods like Greenwich Village and fill them with 40-storey towers, claiming that increased supply will lower the cost of housing. Economist (and Economist correspondent) Ryan Avent says much the same thing, noting that nimbys use zoning rules, historical designations and public pressure "to preserve neighbourhoods, views, and buildings they love from changes they fear". They would let Adam Smith and the law of supply and demand decide how our cities are built.

The key to building a healthy and green city isn't putting wind turbines on the roof of a glass tower; the way to solving our housing crises isn't handing the keys to the planning office to a bunch of living and dead economists. It is to build walkable and cyclable communities at the Goldilocks density: not too high, not too low, but just right.

Maybe Waterloo Region can avoid becoming a forest of 40+ story towers, but work towards densities that allow the tax revenue to support the cities and Region?