>I just find it baffling that the "just legalize more housing" as a solution to a housing shortage is the most controversial take.

Because the problem is more complicated than that. Ultimately, yes there needs to be more housing but there is not one simple path to get there.

No matter what you build someone will complain. If you build a small apartment unit, people will complain it's not a high rise. If you build a high rise, people will complain about corporate landlords.

If we issue vouchers or reserve some units for. affordable housing, people complain. If it has too much parking, people complain. If it's not in the city, people complain about car culture. If you upzone an area and the wrong business moves in, people complain.

No one actually wants more housing in a generic sense. They just want more housing of the kind they personally want, at a price that is affordable for them. And if they cannot get it...they'd rather have no housing.