So, according to Dan Walters’ reporting in “As L.A. Fires Destroy Homes, California’s Housing Crisis Is About to Get Worse,” as it turns out, it was never land-use policy that was the cause of California’s housing shortage and housing affordability problems. Rather, it was simply the tightening of mortgage qualification and the resulting reduction in the availability of capital to purchase housing.
Surprise, surprise, surprise: it was just the injustice of capitalism all along to blame (add that to the list).
I think we all owe an apology to the land use planners who were doing their very best to plan out sustainable and beautiful and healthful communities and who we have blamed for a housing shortage that was caused by banks.