Activist calls for more development in San Francisco

New York

SAN Francisco does not have enough places to live. Sonja Trauss, a local activist, thinks the city should tackle this problem by building more housing.

This may not sound like a controversial idea. But this is San Francisco.

Ms Trauss is a self-described anarchist and the head of the SF Bay Area Renters' Federation, an upstart political group that is pushing for more development. Its platform is simple: Members want San Francisco and its suburbs to build more of every kind of housing. More subsidised affordable housing, more market-rate rentals, more high-end condominiums.

Ms Trauss supports all of it so long as it is built tall, and soon. "You have to support building, even when it's a type of building you hate," she said. "Is it ugly? Get over yourself. Is it lo…