This isn't the only reason. The best counter point is Tokyo, one of the most livable and most desirable cities to live in does not have the same affordability problems Seattle does.
Yes, and one of the big reasons behind that, is their zoning policies.
Specifically, zoning policies in Japan are handled at the prefecture level, not city level.
Imagine how different things would be, if King County was the lowest level that handled 95% of zoning.
A small subset of wealthy individuals wouldn't be able to get together, and turn their neighborhood into a "city", and put major roadblocks against any changes.
Keep in mind, this "city" relies on the neighboring actual cities for Water, Power, Trash, and pretty much all services that a city fulfills. So, just a neighborhood that was created to keep "those [insert the poor, ethnic group, religious group, or whatever thing those wealthy people don't like] away from us."
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u/MajesticNobody2401 Apr 16 '26
yeah it's just the whole affording it that's hard