To tackle its critical shortage of affordable housing, California has taken aim at a central tenet of the American dream: the single-family home.

Telling the story of one such property, in San Diego, can teach us about the larger housing crisis and how we might solve it.

Guest: Conor Dougherty, an economics reporter at The New York Times and author of “Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America.”

Background reading: 

• The transformation of 5120 Baxter Street in San Diego is a projection of California’s tighter, taller future.
• NIMBYs, referring to residents who fight nearby development — especially anything involving apartments — are often blamed for worsening the housing crisis.

For more information on today’s episode, visit 

nytimes.com/thedaily

. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.