So there’s a ton of countries that I’ve heard have had truly unaffordable housing for decades, like:

  • The UK
  • Ireland
  • The Netherlands

And I’ve heard of a ton of countries where the cost of houses was until recently quite affordable where it’s also started getting worse:

  • Germany
  • Poland
  • Czechia
  • Hungary
  • The US
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • And I’m sure plenty others
  1. It seems to be a pan-Western bloc thing. Is the cause in all these countries the same?
  2. We’ve heard of success stories in cities like Vienna where much of the housing stock is municipally owned – but those cities have had it that way for decades. Would their system alleviate the current crisis if established in the aforementioned countries?
  3. What specific policies should I be demanding of our politicians to make housing affordable again? Is there any silver bullet? Has any country demonstrably managed to reverse this crisis yet?
    • Bender@sopuli.xyz
      0·
      13 days ago

      I was going to let him say something obtusely racist and then roast him, but this works too.

      EDIT: He did it anyway.

    • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
      0·
      13 days ago

      It’s not always quite so clear-cut racist. Often it’s more about social norms and food choices. When everyone shares an insular culture, it’s easier to live near each other without having to be actively tolerant of people’s differences. And the social nets that ARE set up are more likely to work for people with a shared cultural background.

      • Bender@sopuli.xyz
        0·
        13 days ago

        Hot take: blatant racism and veiled racism are equally bad reasons for a country to have poor housing policy.

        • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
          0·
          13 days ago

          I’m pretty sure ALL reasons are bad reasons? It doesn’t stop humans from generally being racist when it comes to housing. Which is a shame; you grow a lot more as a person when you live next to people from other cultures.

          • Bender@sopuli.xyz
            0·
            13 days ago

            Right. So in other words, we should just implement Finland’s social housing model everywhere.

      • hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        0·
        13 days ago

        Shut uppppp. I live in a building that has a lot of immigrants (mostly students) and we get along just fine. That “oh I’m not racist, different cultures just can’t fit together” argument is bullshit, and even if people from different cultures don’t get along too well, it’s still better than them being outside when it’s -20 degrees.