PK: “A lot of the answer depends on the demographic structure. Some cities have introduced smaller and more affordable apartments in the downtown area for young and single college graduates, so they can live and work on their own, and become more engaged economically. And there is of course the post-financial crisis generation that has been largely unemployed and living with their parents. So some cities have rezoned the properties downtown so that young people can afford to be there.

Now if you put young and single people in very small apartments they can afford, that means they will spend a lot more time outside. They’ll spend more time at work, congregating in public, and going out and eating, because their apartments are too small to do those things. And this is all very intentional.

Such municipalities have changed their laws to reflect the current socio-economic and demographic realities. And it’s to the benefit of young, single people. They don’t want these people to be on the social and geographic margins forever. So you have to create the conditions for change. And that requires a rapid shifting of laws. I think there are examples of that in other places which are critical. You have to adapt to the times if you want to remain dynamic. And that’s going to depend on the foresight of policymakers.”