No longer in my anesthetized state

Jeebus, this woke me out of my isofluorane-induced stupor:

Why then are there particular places where housing costs have skyrocketed?
In those places, much of the land is prevented by law from being used to build housing.

Why consider supply and demand when you can blame "greenies" for ruining your suburban paradise? Consider LA, the land of extreme land-lock-up-greenies:

No sprawl here!

Darnit, if the greenies would only allow us to build out to sea or on mudslide-prone cliffs and deserts most camels would want to avoid unless it's Spring Break and college chicks are flashing their tatas while chugging booze at Havasu...ahhh, then the world would be so much better! All of sudden, the demand for housing would diminish and the price differential between a $500,000 shack in California and a $200,000 McMansion with yard in Omaha would disappear and Sowell and other sprawl enthusiasts would be happy in the knowledge that they've suckered everyone into the same meaningless, stale existence they constantly promote.