Housing shortage in big cities can cause severe social consequences. Some people think only government action can solve this problem. To what extent do you agree or disagree？

Big cities act as magnets for everyone. Therefore it is increasingly difficult for ordinary people to have somewhere to call home in big cities due to housing shortage, especially the lack of affordable housing. Some people think only government has the power to solve this problem. I completely agree with this statement.

The main reason for housing shortage in large cities is the burgeoning urban population. The situation goes from bad to worse as each year millions of job seekers rush into the city to try their lucky break and the majority of them eventually get settled down, which makes housing shortage even more serious. Careful planning of cities is required to address the issue and obviously, only the government has the power to address this problem.

Even if the population were indeed under control, we still need more apartment buildings to house people who have already worked and lived in the city without decent housing. Again, only the government can decide which old buildings should be demolished to make way for new ones and which area could be designated for residential housing development. Of course, individuals can have their voice heard, but the final decision has to be made by the government.

Another reason that causes housing shortage is those in the real estate business raise the cost of housing exorbitantly. To stop those profit-making housing developers and real estate brokers from pushing up the prices of housing, effective rules and regulations are needed, which can be done by the government. As for the housing projects for low-income families, we can only depend on the government, too.

To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that only the government action can solve the problem of housing shortage in big cities.