>> Our property tax policy punishes buildings and does not inflict enough cost on underutilized land. The result is a system that rewards holding valuable sites idle while penalizing those who invest, build, and contribute to the city’s productivity.

This is the exact reasoning for cutting taxes on the rich and let the upper middle class pay the highest percentages.

Maybe the family who has owned that lot for 80 years doesnt have the money to upgrade it for the "highest and best use" by someone else's standards, but the revenue allows them to live a little better.

I've never understood why constant growth is so often a priority. The world is headed for population decline so governments better figure out how to shrink instead of growing.

Im not against city planning, but this whole piece stinks of telling people what to do.