Housing
Pro.
The US has a shortage of housing overall, and in particular a shortage of housing where jobs actually are. We also have a demographic crisis that will require more people, and once we have those people, either through immigration or by having children, we will need places to put them. Building new market housing does in fact overall drive housing prices down, or slow down their skyrocketing. Exceptions are local and transient, and those who say otherwise are mistaken.
Some people think I’m pro-corporate or pro-developer, but this stance comes from a humanitarian perspective. I believe that everyone should be able to affordably live inside, and the homelessness crisis, especially on the west coast, is a huge embarrassment.
In terms of how to accomplish this goal: I’m a standard YIMBY. I believe that building more housing where jobs are and where people want to live is important. I believe that high rents are primarily a supply issue, that corporate landlords are not a substantial consideration---and to the extent they are, they should be dealt with by strict and merciless application of existing antitrust laws.
We’re going to need all this housing, per the next section!
Public transit
Pro Especially trains (inter-city, subway, and trolley) are essential infrastructure for a functioning society. We should have many times the amount of transit infrastructure we have in the US. Trains are currently barely subsidized at all compared to cars and planes, so expecting trains to be profitable when those other means of transportation are not is actually very unfair.
Cars: Opposed. Cars not only pollute, they are also dangerous (car crashes are a huge cause of death) and bad for society. Only licensed sober adults can drive them, and people not in those categories also need to be able to socialize and visit each other. People should live in walkable towns with convenient walking access to services, not in suburban developments only accessible by car.