Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I can imagine the small apartments in Hong Kong. I lived in Japan for over 20 years, and there are tiny apartments there also. My husband and I lived in one studio apartment in Tokyo that the size of the average American living room for 10 years. It seemed fine at first, but became crowded after we filled it with furniture and stuff.
I had a friend who lived in an even smaller apartment, which was the size of the average American bathroom. When you want to use the toilet (or even just to wash your hands), you need to go out into the hallway and take the elevator down to the third floor to use the public lavatory. I asked where he showered. He said he goes to a public bathhouse down the street.
Those tiny little apartments are not cheap either. The homeless don't live in them. They can't afford them. They set up camp in the woods and along riversides.
In the mean time, Tokyo and other Japanese cities are filled with vacant properties that just sit there. I'd regularly walk by empty houses with broken windows and overgrown yards that just sat there deteriorating, and nobody cared. There are plenty of old apartment buildings and condominiums that are only half full, or less. All that residential land sits there unoccupied, because the owners don't want to sell or rent it for a price somebody else is willing to pay.
In the mean time, developers tear down forested land to build new condos, when there is plenty of vacant housing nearby. Discourage people from holding onto vacant properties for so long, and you could open up a lot of older housing (and land for new housing).
This is the solution in SF but it seems to violate some city codes. i wouldnt live that way but i hear SF is really expensive
this is exactly the setup in post #2, right? newer and cleaner notwithstanding. looks like big cities of america are already moving toward the hk model naturally.
It looks to me like a big part of the problem is in cities like SF they just don't allow much building period. I thought this was a bit shocking. https://youtu.be/ExgxwKnH8y4
other than smaller in size, hk housing is same or even more upscale than new york on average. i lived there for four years, in a 200 sqft apt, and i lived. my home in sf bay area is 3000 sqft and most space is just collecting dust.
And you live in a 3000-sq-ft house that is mostly collecting dust because...?
Sounds like you are part of the problem. Why don't you take a small step towards solving the housing crisis in San Francisco by renting out some rooms?
you are overly generalizing the homeless. mental illness is condusive to homelessness, but homelessness is not necessarily due to mental illness. when one cannot afford the cost of the smallest dwelling, one becomes homeless. this can be from losing a job or low pay.
seems to me if we build an over supply of dwellings, price and rent will both come down.
Not over generalizing at all, this is a fact and I have even worked with them, have you?
Many of those homeless people you see are not even from the area they ate homeless in. Those homeless in Moutainview and Palo Alton are not even from there. Those in San Francisco migrated from other places.
Again, they have no money, they cannot afford an apartment. If they could, perhaps they should move to a low cost of living area instead of trying to stay in some of the highest COL areas in the US,
To build a supply, an over supply, you got to have buyers, so tell me, what money does a homeless person has? All rental units? What money do they have?
And you live in a 3000-sq-ft house that is mostly collecting dust because...?
Sounds like you are part of the problem. Why don't you take a small step towards solving the housing crisis in San Francisco by renting out some rooms?
Yes, of course, the homeless person with no money is going to rent a room.
And everyone loves some random homeless person, most likely a drug addict, living with them.
Yes, of course, the homeless person with no money is going to rent a room.
And everyone loves some random homeless person, most likely a drug addict, living with them.
I didn't say the OP should take in homeless drug addicts. He could simply offer some rooms at well under the market rate to decent hardworking people who just can't afford an apartment in San Francisco. Since he's so concerned about the housing crisis there.
According to him, one person needs only about 200 square feet, so he should be able to accommodate 14 people besides himself in his 3000-square-foot house.
Obviously, I am being somewhat sarcastic. But it is odd that the mention of cheaper housing causes your mind to jump immediately to the mentally ill or addicted homeless. There are lots and lots of people who aren't either of those things who could benefit from more affordable housing.
Last edited by saibot; 07-26-2019 at 08:49 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
