Housing -- Tokyo vs. Berlin
I just read a pair of articles in today's Wall St.Journal, both regarding efforrs to get more affordable housing in urban areas. I've heard about crazy trends in rentals in places like San Francisco -- for which Berlin stands in quite nicely. And I've presumed there MUST be places where housing pressures aren't so insane -- and, surprise! Tokyo is one such place.
Voila! WSJ produces detailed updates on both places. In some fashion, better to start with the good news: you can get a dynamite new apartment in Tokyo for under $1,000/month:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-housing-crisis-in-japan-home-prices-stay-flat-11554210002
On line, WSJ claims:"City takes the lead in growing effort by affordable housing advocates and lawmakers around the world to help financially strapped renters..."
So, read that! Then, if you want to look at the insane lengths municipalities have to go to in pursuit if housing, check out Berlin. But I can't get you the URL (because a lot of newspapers nowadays won't let you access more than a single article on a single day -- so annoying!). It will get you in if you cite Konrad Putzier, the author, and maybe "Berlin,"
Ironically, Berlin had too MANY apartments available as the Cold War ended. The city even sold 65,000 empty apartments in 2004 to private investors. Who have made out like bandits as living in the new German capital suddenly became popular. In the second half of 2018, rents there inceeaaed 9% -- but the city government no longer has the finances to permit them to buy or build apartments.
Personally, I'm in good shape, home-wise, but I know many today are having problems in housing -- so I wanted to get this info out there. Not, of course, that everyone can take the next plane to Tokyo -- but that city IS doing a LOT of the right stuff to get its people accomodated. San Francisco could copy them if it got the political will...
Voila! WSJ produces detailed updates on both places. In some fashion, better to start with the good news: you can get a dynamite new apartment in Tokyo for under $1,000/month:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-housing-crisis-in-japan-home-prices-stay-flat-11554210002
On line, WSJ claims:"City takes the lead in growing effort by affordable housing advocates and lawmakers around the world to help financially strapped renters..."
So, read that! Then, if you want to look at the insane lengths municipalities have to go to in pursuit if housing, check out Berlin. But I can't get you the URL (because a lot of newspapers nowadays won't let you access more than a single article on a single day -- so annoying!). It will get you in if you cite Konrad Putzier, the author, and maybe "Berlin,"
Ironically, Berlin had too MANY apartments available as the Cold War ended. The city even sold 65,000 empty apartments in 2004 to private investors. Who have made out like bandits as living in the new German capital suddenly became popular. In the second half of 2018, rents there inceeaaed 9% -- but the city government no longer has the finances to permit them to buy or build apartments.
Personally, I'm in good shape, home-wise, but I know many today are having problems in housing -- so I wanted to get this info out there. Not, of course, that everyone can take the next plane to Tokyo -- but that city IS doing a LOT of the right stuff to get its people accomodated. San Francisco could copy them if it got the political will...