The problems mentioned in the article certainly are not unique to SF, though the scale is pretty large.<p>Sidney, MT, which is in the Bakken oilfield, has such a shortage of housing that workers there spent last winter sleeping in campers and trucks on the side of the road. In the winter, the temperature can dip to -30 degrees. The dept of transportation (DOT) bottled up a housing projected for almost a year over a right of way dispute. In this case the developer agreed to pay for the improvements, but the DOT insisted on overseeing the process, which increased the cost 2x.<p>In my experience:<p>1. Homeowners fear change because they usually like their neighborhood, have most of their assets "at stake", and envision worst case scenarios.<p>2. Too many elected officials categorize themselves into a soundbite. They don't just campaign by the soundbite, but they govern by it. Project details and reality be damned, I'm pro-parks!<p>3. Top municipal employees almost always have too much power. When a new elected official comes in, they listen to his/her goals and then put new processes in place, while seldom removing old processes. This adds unreasonable amounts of time, complexity and cost to projects.<p>The first and second problem can frequently be worked out but the third problem is crippling. If you want to fix the housing crisis, start there.