> The buildings around me that take the better part of a decade to build (really? A parking garage takes six years?)

I occasionally point out to my neighbors that a new seven-story apartment building down the street took as long to build as the Empire State Building. Denial and/or a lack of understanding that this might represent a problem are common.

(if you don't adjust for inflation it cost about the same in USD to build, but that's a separate topic)