Scale, Shadows and Strain are the three themes used by neighbors to block new developments, mostly in larger cities and towns, although one or more of these themes emerge almost everywhere these days.  In our era of housing shortages, what might be the solution to each of these issues? We cannot evolve and move forward with the extremes. Massive, completely over-scaled projects or nothing. Somewhere in the middle must lie a sane, practical solution with both sides compromising?

In an area of small homes, building a home three times that size could look odd. A super-tall building that casts shadows over public spaces could alter the character of that space. The infrastructure required to build lots more (roads, water, sewer lines, drainage, electrical, schools, sidewalks, traffic lights, etc) is often not in place. Often the cost of building these items is extremely expensive and takes a long time to approve and build. All of these issues have solutions, and some do indeed require compromise, a word that seems to be going extinct these days.

So while neighbors delay and obstruct any kind of development, they are actually making life less affordable for everyone, including themselves. That additional tax revenue would cover lots more than upgrading any infrastructure or adding to a school. The negotiations around scale, shadows and strain are important but urgently need to be accelerated, with locals making their wants more clearly and easily defined. That is, if they truly care about affordability and a thriving future for all.