Day 22

“At the time, the International #Monetary #Fund (#IMF) had just released a staff report on Australia's economy which contained this graph of Australian house prices. It shows how #PropertyPrice #inflation had really accelerated in the early 2000s (in real terms, once inflation had been taken into account), which explains why people were so worried.

The index of real property prices in major #Australian #cities jumped by 46 per cent between 2000 and 2003. (Source: International Monetary Fund, Australia, Staff Report for the 2003 Article IV Consultation, September 3, 2003.) In its report, the IMF noted that investor demand was contributing to the property price increases. It said that was understandable, because the expected returns on housing were far outstripping returns on other assets in Australia in the early 2000s.”

"Consequently, by the end of 2002, investor housing accounted for 30 per cent of the stock of housing loans, compared to 18 per cent a decade ago,"

Australians are being played for mugs by the *Investor Class.*

#AusPol / #LNP / #Liberal / #Nationals / #Labor / #HousingCrisis <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-20/when-housing-turned-toxic-captured-in-talkback-chat-with-pm/105155458> / Original transcript <https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-20920>

@aj @lookitmychicken @eyebrowofdoom @nerd4cities Also, it's very interesting to hear why Melbourne is great from the perspective of an American urban planning expert like Ray Delahanty.

I think we can too often focus on the negatives about our cities, while overlooking the things that are great about them.

@ckent @nickzoic @jessta That 3–5 storey range is a good happy medium. Especially if there's shops or cafés on the ground floor.

Having looked at apartments lately, it's amazing the difference that bigger room sizes, a wider living room, and a larger balcony can make.

I think there's also an underserved need for more 3 to 4 bedroom apartments.

And in terms of housing affordability, 4 bedrooms might make housing more affordable for people.

How?

Because many people — especially younger people — share an apartment.

So even if the apartment costs $1000 per week, if it's shared between four housemates, that works out to just $250 each per week.

@tom_andraszek I think we've got a not dissimilar reference point.

For me, its Laisves alėja in Kaunas (in Lithuania).

There's two rows of trees down the middle.

There's park benches under many of those trees.

The generally accepted rule is that you cycle (or skateboard) in that area.

There's a wide pedestrian space either side.

The buildings on either side are around four storeys tall.

You have shops and cafés on the ground floor, with all fresco dining.

You have small offices (doctors, dentists) and apartments on the floors above.

The pedestrianised street runs the entire length of the Kaunas CBD.

It begins in the old town, near Kaunas Castle and the confluence of the Nemunas and Neris Rivers.

It runs around 1.6 kilometres east.

There are trolleybuses running parallel along the streets one block north and one block south.

It would be worthwhile for Australian urban planners to head out to Kaunas just to see this one street.

I guarantee they'd learn a lot about what a pedestrianised space should be.

It wouldn't cost much and would hardly take any time to implement.

Ohh… and this would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by tackling one of the hardest to abate sectors in the US.

/fin

3. Outreach programs in schools, colleges, grocery stores, malls, and entertainment venues (kinda like anti-smoking outreach)

4. Cooking competitions that highlight plant-based foods

5. Local TV airing cooking shows that focus on plant-based food

Etc.

/4

The entire blame for high cost of meat will rest on this federal government and the Republicans. Blue cities/states can address the inflation in food prices, at least locally, by using local initiatives to shift at least some food consumption from meat to plant-based products:

1. Plant-based food festivals in public spaces on a regular basis

2. Grants/loans for vendors selling plant-based food to start/expand their businesses

/3

Undocumented immigrants are the main source of labor for farms and meat industry in the US. A large share of farming in the US is devoted as feed to the meat industry. As the number of undocumented immigrants decreases substantially because of this federal government’s policies, the cost of agriculture labor will go up. And that means food prices would increase dramatically. The impact of tariffs on other farm inputs would further raise food prices.

/2