The conservative case for denser cities

[Хahar 🤔]

If you have a lot of time and the issue of San Francisco in particular is something you're interested in, I'd strongly recommend reading this: http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/14/sf-housing/

With regard to what is proposed in that article, the geography of Marin County is such that it would have to look like Hong Kong to sustain a high population density. That won't and shouldn't happen for a variety of reasons.

I'm not in favor of the Manhattanization of San Francisco, although obviously there's a problem that needs to be solved. Plopping down a bunch of skyscrapers would destroy the city. There's no particular reason why new housing stock even needs to be in the city; it would meet demand at least as well and probably better if it were on the Peninsula. The problem is the lack of a governmental structure for the whole Bay Area, which makes planning at an appropriate scale impossible.

It goes without saying that the solution is not to clear cities of black people to appease the market gods.

[Хahar 🤔]

"Manhattanization" would "destroy" SF, lol.  

(I do agree re: greater urgency in upzoning the Peninsula and having metro-wide governance.  But let's be real, SF needs it too, and hyperbolic, ignorant, self-centered BS about "OH NOES AN EIGHT-STORY APARTMENT BUILDING ON MARKET STREET WILL RUIN THIS CITY FOREVER AND TURN US INTO TIMES SQUARE" sure ain't actually helping anyone.)

I'm aware that that's an argument that people make, but at no point have I said that. Height restrictions throughout much of the city are absurd. But the article quoted in the original post specifically called for "massive high-rises housing thousands of people," which suggests something quite different than the building mentioned in your strawman.

[Хahar 🤔]

The issue with rent control in San Francisco is that it's not the best interests of anyone involved to change the status quo. The best feasible situation to the issue of housing stock in the Bay Area is to make the areas served by Caltrain desirable and affordable places to live.