Blog #146 Why are housing prices in Santa Barbara so high? And what can be done about them?

Main points dealt with:

• The role of government;
• The distinction between cost of production and maintenance costs
• The recognition of both the social costs and the social benefits of good housing
• The role of existing taxes affecting housing
• The wide range of alternative tenures available to shape policy.
• The interconnection of other problems with those confronting housing and its prices.
• The key role of land and its ownership in affecting the price of housing

In blog #147 and those that follow it, on which I am still working, I try to deal with the main points above, knowing that more of both thought and action are required to advance serious resolutions I hope the discussion here will move us towards meaningful conclusions, which will be set forth in the final Conclusions Blog.

Peter Marcuse         
Vista del Monte, Santa Barbara, California
September 5, 2021