Ask HN: W2018 invites sent. Who got in and what are you making?

Post by yurylifshits » Wed, Oct 25, 2017, 6:47 PM UTC

Eridrus wrote: post #7

yurylifshits wrote: post #2

We are among invited teams. Were rejected 3 times in the past. Working on government analytics, with the initial focus on housing. Demo: http://sfhousing.statecraft.one

Not sure if this in your wheelhouse, but I would love to see a good report on the cost breakdown for new housing. From my own research looking at NYC it looked like new construction was surprisingly expensive and stuff like https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/10/why-is-affordable-hou... isn't exactly encouraging. My basic gut feeling is that if we can't make housing cheaply we are never going to have enough in a city…

Land + wait time for permits + risk (need to compensate for declined projects) + permitting fees + inclusionary requirements + materials + labor

Governments action can put downward pressure on all elements except materials. Land (increase supply of zoned capacity) and permitting are the low hanging fruit. Labor reforms will take much longer.

Post by indescions_2017 » Wed, Oct 25, 2017, 10:47 PM UTC

yurylifshits wrote: post #10

indescions_2017 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nice start! And I like the name ;) Denver might be another good candidate for you to tell your narrative via data. Don't know if you have ever seen the show "Weediquette" on Viceland. But there was an insightful episode on the Denver housing market last night. Developers build $6000/mo high rise condos targeting "Green Rush" cannabis entrepreneurs flush with cash. While city government bans outdoor "camping" for the…

It's a complex problem in need of complex solutions. Government's biggest problem is the scale of their actions. They use all the right tools, but at smaller scale/urgency than they should. Here is the basic toolkit: — Spend public dollars (budget+bonds) on new affordable housing, aim for 5-10% of annual city budget (now it's 1-2%). — Create districts with pre-approved building permits (some work on it, but it takes…

Pre-approved districts and "Free Building Zones" is a great idea. Coupled with initiatives to reclaim abandoned living spaces, re-purpose abandoned factories, etc seems key to re-vitalizing neglected but once thriving communities.

But alternatively, why not just directly inject privately raised funds into shelters and temp housing services? It seems this is where the brunt of the demand is. Increase transitional accommodation supply. It can even be minimal in regards to amenities. And offer employment counselling in one go. As well as partnering with region medical hospital systems to provide a network of low-cost out-patient clinics.

A single model that works in any political environment. Not just for the largest cities, but post-industrial towns as well. It would also compress the time scales from years to months. And although in no way a long term sustainable solution for growing families. It would provide immediate relief for those in emergency situations.

And thanks for your efforts! This is crucial work you are doing, and I'll certainly be rooting for you ;)

Re: Ask HN: W2018 invites sent. Who got in and what are you making?

Re: Ask HN: W2018 invites sent. Who got in and what are you making?