Liberals lament that private developers want to build profitable developments when what is needed most is affordable housing. But even aside from how much housing is built, one way to make housing more affordable is to make it cheaper to build. The problem is many liberal jurisdictions have layered on rules and regulations that make housing pricier even when it is constructed—and that, of course, makes it less affordable. In San Francisco, a 2023 state report found that it took 523 days, on average, to get clearance to construct new housing, and another 605 days to get building permits—and
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