> Or, reduce demand by spreading out jobs to other cities and states where their more needed.

This does not happen, nor is it remotely desirable. Having a life involves much more than having a decent job. It entails living where the person chooses to live according to their personal tastes and desires.

If you force the decision on where to live based on a single constraint that in theory is only a major part of your life so that you can fund your personal life and personal interests then this leads to poor quality of living for all (including spouces, offsprings and immediatr family) just to cater to a company's bottom line.

I'd wager that many more people are moving to the cities that have housing problems for the jobs than because they genuinely want to live there.

It only matters where the people with money want to live, and in my experience they overwhelmingly choose to live in high cost of living cities. The rest have to follow, if they want high paying, upward mobility jobs.

> [people with money] overwhelmingly choose to live in high cost of living cities.

You're confounding your observations. People with money choose to live in areas that maximize their quality of life, and they don't mind paying a premium for that.

Quality of life matters to all, whether rich or poor. Poor people aren't masochists.

You keep thinking people move places and then find jobs. This is not correct in the USA. Also, the quality of life is not higher in these expensive cities.

I have seen it argued in gentrifying neighborhoods that we should reject all projects which make those neighborhoods nicer to live in, to discourage new residents. This is a pretty direct way of reducing demand: making your neighborhood shittier.

Behold the devaluation kit (German): wife beaters, satellite dishes, discount supermarket plastic bags, ... https://www.esregnetkaviar.de/relaunch/abwertungskit.html

Invite me to live there, I'll bring down the the tone.