While not to the exact same scale, rents in NYC and Boston have been doing similar. In Somerville, apartments are roughly double what they were 10 years ago by my estimates. Salaries for the average person haven't kept up. My partner and I clear 160k/year, and affording a 2-3BR apartment is still not easy given student loans, saving for a 20% home down payment, etc. We are currently in a 1BR to make that happen, but the lack of space is killing us. The only way I can see ever owning property is if my options at some company end up being worth something.<p>My question is not if things are going up (they are), but what can we do about them. We are going to destroy our neighborhoods, culture and opportunities (yes, even for us software developers) if these things keep going up like this. Unless none of us ever want to have more than a 150 sq/ft bedroom that we rent (no kids, room for hobbies, etc), we need to find a solution.<p>I'm really sad for my friends who aren't developers, because its impossible to keep up. I don't want everyone to be a developer. I don't think that is culturally good, or a solution. I want artists, academics, electricians, caregivers, medical professionals, and people of all walks of life in my city.<p>Look, we've got some incredibly bright minds on here. What is a realistic, forward looking and innovative way we can work on this? We're aiming for the moon, hyperloops and self driving cars... but maybe a few people can try to figure out how to make it so that cities aren't absolutely terrible cost-wise to live in?<p>NEW THOUGHT: Yes, it is supply and demand. I wonder if someone can start a company whose mission is to quickly create scalable affordable housing in major cities? Something involving tricks for greater density, new building techniques, focus on efficiency but also quality of life... and doing it fast. We need this in 2 years, not 20. How can we build 20,000 units of housing within reach of someone in their 20's in the middle of the income range in each Boston, NYC and SF?