Real estate speculation has made retail space scarce, forcing out small businesses.
In the 1960s cities expanded in large, top-down planned neighbourhoods using the scarce space available to use as efficiently as possible.
After all, so many chardonnays jostle for scarce space that wine-store shelves resemble a Wall Street alley at rush hour.
In fact, scarce carry-on space is the main challenge of the "bring your own" era of travel.
Some states now ban yard waste from landfills; others bar home appliances to conserve scarce space.
The obvious solution is to stop filling scarce space with bulky rubbish just as it left the bin: switch to recycling and incineration.
We have ceased at least a part of our household's demands on scarce space in the landfill.
Not coincidentally, the new package crams more product into scarce retail space.
Rents in SoHo, as elsewhere in Manhattan, are soaring as retailers compete for scarce space.
Primarily, however, it is a danger to pedestrians and cyclists, who have to share scarce public space with cars.