Tokyo may have found the solution to soaring housing costs

The reasons for Japan&#x27;s lower housing prices make a lot of sense to me and I think their solutions are a good idea for developed nations.<p>I&#x27;ll admit I&#x27;m not particularly educated on this sort of issue, so I&#x27;d love to hear from someone who thinks this sort of central planning isn&#x27;t as good of an idea.

A good article on Japan&#x27;s national zoning laws and how it differs from the US:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;urbankchoze.blogspot.com&#x2F;2014&#x2F;04&#x2F;japanese-zoning.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;urbankchoze.blogspot.com&#x2F;2014&#x2F;04&#x2F;japanese-zoning.html</a>

It also helps that Japan has a culture of tearing down &quot;used&quot; houses after 15 or so years, and rebuilding them [1]. This means that neighborhoods are constantly being reconstructed to meet the needs of the current population.<p>That attitude seems to clash pretty dramatically with those of San Franciscans or Londoners, who prefer to maintain the heritage and culture of a neighborhood.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;sustainable-business&#x2F;disposable-homes-japan-environment-lifespan-sustainability" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;sustainable-business&#x2F;disposable-...</a>