Why do we insist on policies that 'sound good' but destroy the cities they aim to save? This article explores how virtue signalling and a focus on short-term optics over empirical results—such as rent controls and bans on foreign investment—consistently lead to housing shortages and higher prices, as seen in the Netherlands and Canada. It argues that the media often ignores the long-term consequences of these interventions, while government bureaucracy stifles the construction needed to solve the crisis.