He put his mobile phone in the tweet. Can someone who does a good Elon impersonation prank call him?

That ain't it, if anything we should be enforcing those rules more than we currently do. We absolutely have enough land to fix the housing crisis with just mid-density buildings and the premium for a more livable city is worth it. Boston should look to Paris for inspiration, not New York City.

The real answer is to upzone large swaths of land near public transit to allow for 5-6 story housing with first floor retail, aka what literally everyone wants. Try walking along Beacon Street from the public garden to Coolidge Corner for example, it's one of the densest housing corridors in the state but it feels extremely livable, on account of setbacks, rules for architectural styles, and limits to around 6 stories. Upzoning neighborhoods like Mission Hill, Allston, Cambridgeport, Central Square, and Kendall Square to this style would put a massive dent into housing demand and create ideal urban life.

Sure, build a few high rises in central districts, but too many of those just aren't desirable. Downtown Boston is about to renovate a bunch of former office towers to housing anyways and that should fill most of the demand for that particular kind of housing.

It's not a free market though, landlords got in when supply was higher than demand and then restricted new development through zoning laws, red tape, and environmental lawsuits to ensure that rents remain high.

Plus, landlords that are out of state actively drain the local economy. If we really want an optimal and free market, every bit of Boston should be rezoned to increase density. You don't need another seaport, build more Back Bay/Fenway/South End style neighborhoods (the most desirable parts of Boston) and everyone will be happy.

Landlords that reside out of state should be taxed at higher rates to encourage local ownership (and local recirculation of rent money). Corporate ownership should be taxed higher than individual landlords, with an increasing tax rate dependent on how many units you own. Renting a retail property to a chain or bank should have higher tax rates than local businesses. Triple deckers without historical significance should be able to be replaced with 5-6 story mixed use brick buildings (built to the property line with a setback in front) without any hassle.

There's so many pen stroke changes that the city could make to make the market freer and benefit local residents at the same time.

Landlords set prices as they see fit, but they only have buyers at such high prices because of shitty laws and regulatory capture. And it's not like they're locals, a lot of these landlords are from out of state investors or corporations.