Opinion | The Gentrification of Blue America - The New York Times - 0 views
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most of these rising knowledge-industry hubs also severely limit housing construction; this is true even of greater New York, which is much denser than any other U.S. metropolitan area but could and should be even denser. As a result, housing prices in these metros have soared, and working-class families, instead of sharing in regional success, are being driven out.
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The result is that there are now, in effect, two Americas: the America of high-tech, high-income enclaves that are unaffordable for the less affluent, and the rest of the country.
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And this economic divergence goes along with political divergence, mainly because education has become a prime driver of political affiliation.
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As a result, the two Americas created by the collision of the knowledge economy and NIMBYism correspond fairly closely to the blue-red division: Democratic-voting districts have seen a big rise in incomes, while G.O.P. districts have been left behind:
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True, the growing concentration of knowledge industries in a few metropolitan areas reflects deep economic forces that are hard to fight
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But not building enough housing to accommodate this concentration and share its benefits is a policy choice, one that is deepening our national divisions.
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Restrictive housing policy doesn’t get nearly as much attention in national debates as it deserves. It is, in fact, a major force pulling our nation apart.