Companion Highlights to 'Change My Mind: Density Increases Local But Decreases Global Prices,' with heavy Scott engagement and notable expert participation. Scott defends his contrarian thesis (that within-city density feeds desirability and thus prices) via the Manhattan-vs-Conanicut-Island quasi-experiment, an oil-boom-town model of induced service jobs, and the Google-as-endogenous-lottery-vs-natural-resource distinction, then works through the Chinese ghost-cities natural experiment (they mostly filled up → density caused prices), the Tokyo objection (which he'd pre-addressed: national vs marginal-unilateral building), and the supply-curve-vs-quantity-supplied econ critiques. Economists show up directly — Scott Sumner (Austin-vs-Houston), Maximum Limelihood Estimator (bandwagon goods), Jeremiah Johnson (YIMBY, 'demand causes prices'), Cameron Murray (spatial equilibrium) — and Scott concedes a careful list of points while restating his core beliefs, closing with a reader poll.

Quality 71 · Strong. Strong, top of the companion band: substantial real-time economic argument from Scott plus direct participation by named housing economists; a continued essay in effect. Held at 71 by its highlights format.

Claude’s paradigm shift 48 · Moderate. Notable: the Manhattan/Conanicut quasi-experiment and the density-feeds-desirability model are a genuinely contrarian sharpening of the YIMBY supply debate.

Real-world impact 2 · Minor. Within-discourse: engages the live YIMBY/housing-policy debate with economists; no direct material reach.

Highlights From The Comments On Housing Density And Prices