Sam is a really smart guy and I learn a ton from what he writes but I just 100% disagree with this view. Technological problems are at least in principle solvable within the constraints of the laws of physics, social problems can, in principle, persist indefinitely.

This is why the WiP approach to housing is (I’m generalizing here): make the buildings more beautiful, let existing landowners and communities profit from the uplift in land values from upzoning, and voila, more housing