> Existing shops can just get more business, no? And if new shopping centers are needed, _developers_ can bear the construction cost, not you the taxpayer.

Thing is, that's not enough. Developers won't touch that shit with a ten foot pole if they can avoid it, too much risk in shopping centers with the "mall death" plague, and too much work compared to just building crap houses out of broken wood and cardboard - look at CyFy on Youtube and the amount of piss poor workmanship he routinely documents. It's bad enough for a house worth half a million dollars, but an actual mall requires much more solid construction.

Besides, it's not just about shops, it's about creating "third spaces" in general where the cost is.

> But we can’t have no change AND housing for our young adults at the same time

Invest into at least semi-rural areas again? There's no hard requirement trying to force everyone to live in SF, LA, NYC or, here in Germany, the unholy quadruple of Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and Freakfurt. The government could at least try to get fast Internet access outside of the urban centers, that alone would go a long long way in helping out these areas.