Leftists destroyed this country's housing market with habitability warranties, zoning laws, rent control, and high taxes. Now they're acting as though the free market caused the housing shortage that came about as a direct result of their inept mismanagement.
I find your first paragraph to be unsympathetic, but I agree with you here. Rent control and overzealous zoning laws are to blame for where we are.
NIMBY-ism is a bipartisan belief, unfortunately. And YIMBY-ism is a suicidal political stance to take.
We need massive reform now.
BUILD MORE HOUSING.
Yep, this is an easily solvable problem through aggressive growth. We're choosing not to have enough homes.
As a concession to the left, rent control in a portion of these apartments will likely need to be instituted. But building more is the only way out of a housing crisis, and the current anti-landlord fixation of the authoritarian left is going to result in fewer homes, not more.