Warsaw is an urban area recovering from planning. There was the planned economy that kept an enterprising people in poverty, while Western Europeans, Americans and Japanese became
affluent. But, at least Warsaw is going in the right direction. The metropolitan area is going in the right direction, as people and businesses locate where it is less costly, improving the quality
of life. On the other hand, many urban areas in the more affluent Western World are determined to contract the planning disease and their citizens are paying the price in excessively high land
prices. The result is that home ownership is likely to fall substantially in the next generation.