It's a classic chicken/egg problem and the NIMBY argument is let's just not have the chicken or egg. City politicians can't fight that argument. Something needs to happen above the city level that makes density a given that they can't do anything about. Then the discussion can shift to how to handle the traffic from the density because even the NIMBY will accept they can't do anything to stop the density.
However, all the power is at the city level, so that's why the situation doesn't change. California recently tried to introduce a bill to use state level power to force density, but it was voted down and defeated.
I have mixed feelings about all this. I don't like the idea of a higher power like the state or federal forcing everywhere to be dense. Residents should have some control over how their neighborhoods develop. But the current housing shortage is really bad. Long term, it will destroy the economy because people will move away to other states when they start families, and that's often also when their careers reach their prime (maximum tax revenue).
Like you, I'm not fond of the idea of stripping local governments of their power and controls.
That said, also like you, I'm pretty damn worried about the crisis at hand. Given that the crisis has been pretty uniformly driven by local government policies, they're going to have to be dialed back to fix much of anything.
However, all the power is at the city level, so that's why the situation doesn't change. California recently tried to introduce a bill to use state level power to force density, but it was voted down and defeated.
I have mixed feelings about all this. I don't like the idea of a higher power like the state or federal forcing everywhere to be dense. Residents should have some control over how their neighborhoods develop. But the current housing shortage is really bad. Long term, it will destroy the economy because people will move away to other states when they start families, and that's often also when their careers reach their prime (maximum tax revenue).