How can a city reduce cost-of-living expenses for its residents?

Question

Can a city take deliberate action to reduce cost-of-living expenses? What is involved? Who needs to be engaged? How long will it take to realize change?

Answer 1

By building low income housing. Having the utility companies in that city participate going by reducing a portion of your monthly bill(instead of paying in full )pay a small amount over time). The mayor and city council members, Big business,and Utility companies. Only time will tell and some people don't care about the little people. It's Capitalism at it's best.

Answer 2

A large part of the high cost of living in cities is due to real estate prices, which not only increase the price of housing but most goods indirectly. I would not recommend it, but getting rid of all the high income earners would work, Prices for real estate is determined by supply and demand, and since cities have a nearly fixed supply within easy commuting distance, people bid up the price on the housing available as much as their income allows. The other solution is to have policies that increase the supply of housing by increasing the density. Building public transport would also help, by increasing the area from which it is possible to commute. Public housing for the poor is a nice idea, but it usually only accommodates a small fraction of those who need help, and increase the pressure on others.

Answer 3

Housing is only one bill that people have to pay.
I lived in downtown Louisville, KY for a couple of years (I know it's not a MAJOR city, but the concept can be applied to all). In poor downtown areas, for instance, the only stores they have close-by is drug stores and Krogers. The stores' prices are ridiculously high. They can do this though, because many of the people in these areas don't have a vehicle (or gas $) to go elsewhere.
I seriously don't think low-income housing will help much. I've known several people in these housings and their situations aren't much better than they were before they moved there. In fact, many people often get 'stuck' there.
In my personal opinion, we need to move the U.S. factories (U.S. can be substituted for any other industrialized country) in other nations back to the U.S. to provide more production jobs. We are becoming more and more deindustrialized everyday. For a high-school graduate, the pay of the production jobs of the past could take care of one and their family. Jobs in America are not decreasing; production jobs are declining and service jobs are rising. Unfortunately, service jobs pay little more than minimum wage. It's damn near impossible to take care of oneself and a family working jobs like these that pay so little.

So, in my opinion, there's really not much a city can do. If the cost of living was decreased in one city dramatically, outsiders may flock to that city (thereby increasing the standard of living). I think it's up to an entire nation to change the standard of living.

Look into capitalism and deindustrialization. It's all mapped out to further disadvantage the already poor.

Answer 4

Build more low-income housing for the people who need it the most...the Citizens who reside in the community! I have no idea how long this will take or if it will ever actually happen on a mass scale! I suppose you'd need to find the Investors who don't want to "get rich quick" & have a sense of community pride!

Answer 5

If a city wants to reduce cost of living for its residents, it needs to take less from the people -- lower taxes, fewer restrictions, less-restrictive zoning, better violent-crime protection, smaller government, cheaper building permits -- in other words, let the people do what they see as most-profitable, and don't take their money or, to the greatest extent practical, restrict their choices.

Answer 6

Stay away from the coastal states. The midwest is pretty cheap. I've seen decent rents in the mid states for like 300 for a 1br so stick to them.

Answer 7

find someway to increase business and the government will have more tax money so the tax bill will go down.

Answer 8

by creating more jobs and creating free trade agreements with partner and neighbor nations.