Post #1757060

2026-04-28 07:40 UTC

“Every country that has tried to build its way out of housing crises without dealing with the underlying problem of inequality and distribution has built a slum. The whole world is filled with these places that have had no restrictions on housing, and they built a massive shanty town outside of their city. “And you think that can’t happen in a country like Australia. I grew up in Ilford, which is a poor suburb of East London...it was a poor suburb for working-class families, and it is now a slum. It’s as simple as that. All respect to the people that live there, is a place of desperate poverty, and those family homes are now expanded backwards, expanded upwards, and rented out by the room. “Australia is a bit behind on this, but you’re going in the same direction. You will build a super luxury centre surrounded by extremely low-quality slums.” https://www.watoday.com.au/politics/western-australia/economist-gary-stevenson-warns-wa-can-t-build-its-way-out-of-housing-crisis-20260228-p5o681.html

Replies (4)

@scroeser@kolektiva.social 2026-04-28 08:32

@phocks gotta say this guy vastly overestimates how many people even know who their local mayor is in Australia

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@sinvega@mas.to 2026-04-28 09:29

@phocks excuse me, I rented a room with 5-7 strangers in ilford and still had to skip enough meals that... well anyway it's not a slum. because of the reasons.

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@SydneyJim@mastodon.social 2026-04-28 10:05

@phocks @MelissaBearTrix There are no slums or shanty towns anywhere in Japan. Strict building regulations, strong infrastructure, and relatively low levels of extreme urban poverty have prevented that kind of widespread informal settlement from developing. There are pockets of poverty and temporary sheltering along some railways and in parks. But no shanty towns or slums. So no, not every country.

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@screwturn@mastodon.social 2026-04-28 14:27

@phocks TBH, as long as monied people are buying residential property as investments, prices and inequality will be driven up. Tons of well-heeled Australians who have a second, third, or fourth "investment" house are surprised to learn that their kids can't afford to buy anywhere near them, if at all. Once in that investment mindset, they also can't easily pull out and will fight any effort to reduce scarcity or pricing

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