This is a thought experiment, and perhaps a glimpse into the future. The question I start with is, “What happens if self-driving cars become a reality?” I note that first order effects (like, Now I can eat breakfast in the car because I don’t have to hold the steering wheel anymore) are the easiest to see, and with each step out (Does my breakfast change? How does that effect egg farmers?), the results get easier and easier to get wrong.

I’ve been house hunting for a while, seeing if I can mind a bigger place at an affordable price. As part of that, I’ve been thinking a little about urban renewal and redevelopment and their effect on house pricing. The long and the short of it is that I don’t see how they can bring down house prices (directly).