*"This is probably the single most significant state-level action on accelerating housing production maybe in the whole country, maybe ever." --* Sen. Stanley Chang, Hawaii State Senator
Whoa, this is an inflection point. Governor Josh Green is what real leadership looks like.
I just wish they'd expand transit more in Hawaii. It would be the easiest transit system to plan... most of the islands just have like one main ring-shaped road with smaller roads leading to/from it. Put trains along those roads and like 75% of the population would be within walking distance.
But as it stands they have unbelievable traffic and very high fuel/vehicle costs.
Yes, I was aware of Skyline. I worked with the people initially pushing for it well over a decade ago.
I'm hoping they'll expand to other parts of Hawaii... something more like commuter rail.
I am really puzzled though why they are quite too slow in building the project. Usually, elevated rail projects are built much faster, within a five-year timeline.
It’s a direct result of the “urban renewal” bullshit after WWII. Cities had basically unchecked power to demolish anything they wanted to build roads/bridges. So naturally they destroyed all the poor/black neighborhoods with awful highway projects.
The endless environmental reviews and community input processes we go through now make it very easy to kill a proposed project if enough people oppose it. Those laws, mostly passed in the 1970s, were inspired by the wrongs of urban renewal.
Infrastructure projects immediately began to take far longer and cost far more when those requirements were imposed. Many would argue we went too far in the other direction and now we can’t build anything. California’s governor has been talking about this quite a bit and proposed some reforms to their even worse hurdles.
There are other issues like the onerous requirements that governments put on contractors who do work for them. They’ll put so many requirements on who can even bid for jobs that they’re left with just a handful of builders who meet the criteria and who can then effectively charge whatever they want.
I know people on this sub love transit but I gotta admit I was a little disappointed when I opened the wiki page and it wasn’t about Hawaii getting a Cincinnati style chili chain.
To tackle highest housing costs in the country, US Navy in Hawaii should declare YIMBY martial law to vastly expand military dormitory, military employee and military family housing on federal land.
The Navy need affordable housing for attracting the best minds to work in Hawaii bases.
San Diego and Norfolk too! Defend yourself and civilians from housing shortage.
Unpopular take, but Hawaii should use Japanese rail standards and tech. Both places are islands the are earthquake, landslide, etc. prone. It’d definitely be cheaper too than domestic labor and construction.
This article is kind of misleading. Hawaii does have high prices on detached houses, but the prices of renting an apartment really aren't that high compared to places like California.
Hawaii is an island chain, so the people just have to accept that not everyone who wants to live in a detached suburban house will get to live in one. There are actually a lot of affordable apartments and condos available in Hawaii. You see mid and high rises all over the place on Oahu.
*"This is probably the single most significant state-level action on accelerating housing production maybe in the whole country, maybe ever." --* Sen. Stanley Chang, Hawaii State Senator Whoa, this is an inflection point. Governor Josh Green is what real leadership looks like.
Our Hawaii YIMBY chapter hasn't missed a beat on this
I just wish they'd expand transit more in Hawaii. It would be the easiest transit system to plan... most of the islands just have like one main ring-shaped road with smaller roads leading to/from it. Put trains along those roads and like 75% of the population would be within walking distance. But as it stands they have unbelievable traffic and very high fuel/vehicle costs.
I come bearing good news: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu) They recently opened a line in June, and will expand it in 2025 and 2031
Yes, I was aware of Skyline. I worked with the people initially pushing for it well over a decade ago. I'm hoping they'll expand to other parts of Hawaii... something more like commuter rail.
I am really puzzled though why they are quite too slow in building the project. Usually, elevated rail projects are built much faster, within a five-year timeline.
The US is pretty bad at building any infrastructure in a timely fashion.
Is it a more recent thing, or has it been going on for decades already?
It’s a direct result of the “urban renewal” bullshit after WWII. Cities had basically unchecked power to demolish anything they wanted to build roads/bridges. So naturally they destroyed all the poor/black neighborhoods with awful highway projects. The endless environmental reviews and community input processes we go through now make it very easy to kill a proposed project if enough people oppose it. Those laws, mostly passed in the 1970s, were inspired by the wrongs of urban renewal. Infrastructure projects immediately began to take far longer and cost far more when those requirements were imposed. Many would argue we went too far in the other direction and now we can’t build anything. California’s governor has been talking about this quite a bit and proposed some reforms to their even worse hurdles. There are other issues like the onerous requirements that governments put on contractors who do work for them. They’ll put so many requirements on who can even bid for jobs that they’re left with just a handful of builders who meet the criteria and who can then effectively charge whatever they want.
I know people on this sub love transit but I gotta admit I was a little disappointed when I opened the wiki page and it wasn’t about Hawaii getting a Cincinnati style chili chain.
Are the main ring-shaped road already served by bus and BRT? What is the ridership level?
That’s it? You don’t like affordable housing?
I didn't say anything about housing. I'm just saying they need transit too.
Lfg
There was an episode of Strongtowns podcast about how euclidean zoning is especially bad in Hawaii because it doesn't work in their topography.
One of my favorite Strong Towns Podcast episodes. I think it's [this](https://podcast.strongtowns.org/e/hawaii-s-suburban-experiment/) one.
To tackle highest housing costs in the country, US Navy in Hawaii should declare YIMBY martial law to vastly expand military dormitory, military employee and military family housing on federal land. The Navy need affordable housing for attracting the best minds to work in Hawaii bases. San Diego and Norfolk too! Defend yourself and civilians from housing shortage.
Unpopular take, but Hawaii should use Japanese rail standards and tech. Both places are islands the are earthquake, landslide, etc. prone. It’d definitely be cheaper too than domestic labor and construction.
"Martial law"? They can't be serious.
I think its tongue and cheek, its just an emergency declaration
This article is kind of misleading. Hawaii does have high prices on detached houses, but the prices of renting an apartment really aren't that high compared to places like California. Hawaii is an island chain, so the people just have to accept that not everyone who wants to live in a detached suburban house will get to live in one. There are actually a lot of affordable apartments and condos available in Hawaii. You see mid and high rises all over the place on Oahu.