fascination of suburban sprawl. Utah is a prime example of this. Our zoning codes (and consumer preferences) encourage people to spread out, have individual yards that are terrible for the environment and require effort and money to manage, and kill the sense of community by not allowing hyper-local businesses and gathering places (like what are common in Europe). Some cities, like Minneapolis, are finally starting to ban zoning that forces only single family homes. If producers were actually able to build the supply up, housing would be much more affordable.

Supply is kept lower than optimal due to regulation and it can't keep up with demand, so prices rise. Go figure.