re: Is the "housing shortage" overblown?

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I don’t live in Louisiana, but this idea of urban decay is the exact opposite of what’s happened in Tennessee. 20 years ago downtown Nashville was basically half of what it is now. Downtown Knoxville was almost dead. Areas like East Nashville were dangerous and North Knoxville had very few businesses. Now both downtowns are busy and growing. East Nashville and North Knoxville are filled with millennial homeowners, breweries, and good restaurants. Cities here aren’t decaying, they are thriving

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Nashville and East TN are the exception, not the norm. Very high population and economic growth in areas that were ready for it. Of course that has still come at a price - the cost of housing has exploded, traffic has gotten terrible and the crappy public school systems still push people into expensive private schools.

Meanwhile over in Memphis 70% of the city is still a no-go warzone and it's a rat race for decent folks to cram into the remaining 30%. At least Memphis has the less densely populated regions of northern Mississippi right across the border to serve as a pressure release for the Middle Class. Most cities don't have that.

i work for our school district. i handle residency issues for all our school. my town has 2200 in high school, several elementary schools, 1 middle school. houses are being built like crazy. south of dallas. starter homes are 360 plus. most are just leased out. multiple families at one address. one of our higher achieving elementary schools went to ghetto in 14 months from one subdivision. there is not a shortage around here, only crap built homes that are over priced. culture has creaped in and cannot be stopped. i have removed 171 students from our schools for enrolling with falsified documents so far this school year.

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There is not really a shortage of housing. There is a shortage of what people consider to be affordable homes in desirable areas.

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This

And neighborhoods that were affordable and desirable in 2010 are now shite in a lot of places

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Atlanta is the same way. Not downtown but the neighborhoods in W.Midtown and the eastern sections of the city(Grant Park, Kirkwood, East Lake, E.Atlanta, Virginia Highland) have exploded the last 15 years and the city has gentrified to the point that it is no longer majority-minority.

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If by "majority-minority" you mean more than 50% minority, you are correct, but per neilsberg.com the current demographic breakdown of Atlanta is as follows:

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The percent distribution of Atlanta population by race (across all racial categories recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau): 41.03% are White, 48.19% are Black or African American, 0.29% are American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.01% are Asian, 0.05% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 1.69% are some other race and 3.73% are multiracial.

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I'd hardly call that gentrified. Atlanta is still a hell hole. Buckhead is no longer the safe, enjoyable scene it once was and its residents are still trying to find a way to break out of Atlanta and create their own city.

No. Atlanta is nothing like Knoxville or Nashville in regard to making real and meaningful improvements.

Source for demographic stats above: Atlanta, GA Population by Race (Nielsberg.com)

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There is not really a shortage of housing. There is a shortage of what people consider to be affordable homes in desirable areas

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Houses are very affordable in the circle in Montgomery, AL!

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That and there’s a real lack of legitimate, affordable starter homes in even “decent” areas of a lot of cities. You shouldn’t have to live in the hood just to avoid buying something a solid bedroom and 400 square feet bigger than what you actually need.

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They got some 1500 sf DR Horton homes selling around me for $250k

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I don’t live in Louisiana, but this idea of urban decay is the exact opposite of what’s happened in Tennessee. 20 years ago downtown Nashville was basically half of what it is now. Downtown Knoxville was almost dead. Areas like East Nashville were dangerous and North Knoxville had very few businesses. Now both downtowns are busy and growing. East Nashville and North Knoxville are filled with millennial homeowners, breweries, and good restaurants. Cities here aren’t decaying, they are thriving

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80 something percent if not 90 something percent of southern cities and the city center and surrounding areas is night-and-day safer and nicer and more vibrant than it was 30 years ago. Frigging Macon Georgia of all places has loft apartments downtown and overpriced housing. Janky-arse Augusta and Columbus too.

Where this whole "big cities used to be really nice but now they're shite holes" narrative is coming fron is beyond me.

Midtown Atlanta and downtown Atlanta were not places where you wanted to be after dark in the 1980s.

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Atlanta is still a hell hole.

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I live in Virginia Highland it’s like Mayberry. Nothing over here but families and restaurants retail that you can walk to.

There are over 1.5 million homes on the market as of the end of March. I guess that’s a shortage.

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massive shortage of homes?

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We need to stop giving homes to undocumented migrants. Problem solved.