i was talking to my SO about this the other day but i think something that could completely change all the cities in america is if they introduced an "Occupancy Property Tax Cut"
where if the real estate developers maintain 90%+ occupancy rates they get their property taxes slashed
youd see people moving back to cities, more shops, more reasons to stay closer to a town
and it wouldnt actually influence the reasoning for rent pricing, so many companies could (and should) pass the savings down to their tenants
this is in contrast to section 8 where they are completely subsidizing the renter
not only would this affect residential renters but also commercial renters, ive read that there is like 50% occupancy for basic office space especially after covid with people opting to work from home