The article discusses the challenges faced by housing and infrastructure projects in the U.S., highlighting a proposal to convert a Nordstrom parking lot into affordable apartments in San Francisco that encountered a lengthy 500-day preliminary review. Author Ezra Klein, in his book 'Abundance,' argues that these delays are not due to lack of resources but rather procedural obstacles within the system. It examines how California's high-speed rail project serves as a further example of this inefficiency, showcasing how environmental reviews and lawsuits have significantly deterred progress and inflated costs.
The U.S. has developed a culture of delay, characterized by layers of review and the threat of endless lawsuits that make project implementation incredibly difficult.
Klein's book, 'Abundance,' calls into question why essential infrastructures like housing and transportation lag behind, emphasizing a systemic issue rather than a lack of resources.
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