<i>The Bay Area currently has 8 million</i><p>The San Francisco &#x2F; Bay Area MSA has only 4.5 million: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;List_of_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;List_of_Metropolitan_Statistic...</a>. But the rest of your post is well taken! Given the low energy cost of heating &#x2F; cooling in the Bay Area, and the high concentration of smart people and economic activity, more reasonable housing policies would dramatically improve a lot of lives.