GLASS FLOOR BATHROOM WITH A SHAFT BELOW -- Why??

Because it means that you have a that is built atop of a mine (probably not a working mine) or you live at the top of a building with a spare now unused lift shaft - maybe a couple of other circumstances where this is possible. Either way, it's not something you'd come across every day. It might mean the rest of your house would look like this

http://www.homedsgn.com/2012/04/27/ppdg-penthouse-by-hernandez-silva-arquitectos/

Ok, that is really cool. I'm buying!!

Really like the spiral wine cellar!!

And the beach desk! I want to run my toes through the sand while I work...

you're not digging the swimming pool balconies?  they are not built yet, but planned for an apartment in Mumbai. http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/james-law-wadhwa-group-aquaria-grande-pool-balcony

What is the world coming to?

Other residences in Mumbai with aquatic features close by

Sorry, didn't need to do that, pretty much every city in the world has a rich-poor divide. It's right outside my doorstep in San Francisco. Just got me thinking.

San Francisco is not nearly that drastic though, is it?

Maybe not as bad, but bad enough ...

Take, One Rincon Hill

$3M for 1400 Sq Ft.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/425-1st-Street-5402-HARRISON-San-Francisco-CA-94105/2111117602_zpid/

Then a couple of blocks away:

http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Big-SoMa-homeless-camp-cleaned-out-3822427.php

To most people, the giant homeless encampment at Fifth and King streets was invisible. At most, some could catch a glimpse of tents from the Interstate 280 on-ramp, or from a railcar pulling into the nearby Caltrain station.

But nearby residents and shopkeepers knew exactly what was under that I-280 on-ramp - a sprawling mini-city of tents, suitcases and makeshift Conestoga wagon-style trailers, and a 50-strong homeless population that had been there for years. It was the biggest street camp in San Francisco.

You're right, the contrast is astounding and heartbreaking.

Not sure what the solution is though. Local house price rises are a result of demand and the amount of money that is being made around here. Homelessness is a way larger and more complex problem.

I did find this article on

The Danish Approach to Beating Homelessnesshttp://www.english.umd.edu/interpolations/3466

The United States has a homeless population of about 2.3 to 3.5 million (“Facts and Figures: The Homeless”). This large number cannot be ignored, thus we must find examples of low homelessness rates in order to put our high statistic into perspective. Is there anywhere in the world that has been able to make an impact on the amount of people that are homeless?  One of the lowest rates of homelessness in the world belongs to Denmark, a Scandinavian country. And so, it makes sense to look at their methods of fighting the homeless problem. Because the current methods of the United State are unsuccessful in lowering the homelessness rate significantly, we should adopt Danish’s three main successful models and their concept of “housing first”.

Before one approaches the strategies of helping the homeless in two different nations, one must first understand those countries’ understandings and states of homelessness. According to Lars Benjaminsen and Evelyn Dyb, the Danish see being homeless as people who are “rough sleepers”- or people sleeping on the street, hostel users, and people living in temporary housing 

On the other hand, in the United States, someone who is homeless is “an individual who lacks a fixed regular, and adequate nighttime residence”

The United States has a population of about 313, 232, 044 (United States: People and Society) and the amount of people who are homeless is anywhere from 2.3 to 3.5 million (“Facts and Figures: The Homeless”). This statistic means that one percent of our population is homeless, as compared to the 0.1% homeless rate in Denmark. The number of homeless children in the United States is as high as two percent, which is around 2.5 million people (“Facts and Figures: The Homeless”). It is clear that the meaning of a person being homeless in Denmark and the United States is very similar. However, you might notice that it is easier for a person to fall under Denmark’s definition of being homeless, by including hostel users in the definition. Thus, even with a broader scale of being homeless, Denmark still manages to maintain a low rate.

The Danish have accepted three main approaches for attacking the problem of homelessness. The ideas include a “staircase transition”, a normalizing model, and a tiered model (Hansen, “The Homeless Strategy” 118). These three concepts were developed for the years 2009-2012 in order to achieve four main goals (Hansen, “The Homeless Strategy” 115).

These goals are the following: 

1) no citizen should be forced to live on the street

2) young people should never live in hostels for the homeless

3) periods of housing in “care homes” or shelters should last no longer than three to four months, and

4) if one is released from prison or discharged from courses of treatment, an accommodation must be in place

The paper addresses a couple of arguments as to why the US is different and ends with a little food for thought - worth reading: http://www.english.umd.edu/interpolations/3466

Fascinating. A problem definitely worth solving.

Not sure if the solution should primarily come from the city, state, or federal government.