Solution for Homelessness.
So let’s justs outline the problem. Housing prices are very high. Many people cannot afford a house when priceses are this high.
Why are prices so high?
One is that if you have a large amount of money, and want to put is someplace safe, real estate is considered safe. Why? Because the property never goes away. So long a the government will enforce your tile’right to the property you will always have something. The problem is that this creates significant competition for those who actually want to live in the house. This is exacerbated by the concentration of wealth into a fewer and fewer people. Income redistribution is outside the scope of this article.
Another factor is the lack of property available. Why is there a lack of property? There are talks about the costs of building and the ‘onerous’ challenges with getting permits to build. This narrative is pushed by developers who are looking make many multiples of return on their investment, but there is a much easier solution; zoning.
Zoning, as a refresher, are the rules governments put into place to make sure the all uses of land work together. The classic example is putting a pig farm next to an apartment. The smell makes the apartment unlivable. The solution, that was implemented in the 1900’s-1960’s, was a complex patchwork of zoning to find a way to put all uses of land so we could live harmoniously together.
Why is that a problem now? A couple of reasons. The first is that the zoning maps of many areas were set in the 1960’s or earlier- and the characters of many areas has changed drastically. As an exampl,e in Spokane there are many areas that were planned to be single family, but the companies that would have used them moved away and the more affluent people moved to more desirable areas. The result is an area the is zoned for single family home, that few can afford, and that people generally don’t want to live. So what can be done about it?
A zoning change would probably be in order. What would a zonign change do? Right now the area is zoned for single family homes that no one wants to live in, but it is still property that is in central Spokane. There is also still a need for housing. So why aren’t people building lower cost housing or converting to commercial?
The argument is made that anyone can request a zoning change, and that the zoning board is amenable to such changes. So why aren’t people doing this? Let’s consider a few: The zoning board is not required to approve the change, so it is perceived as risky. If it’s a single neighbor then they may be singled out as ‘destroying’ the neighborhood (a variation of Not In My BackYard (NIMBY)).
Another, very closely related issue, is that most people do know how to go through the zoning process. You have to give notice, you have to appear before the zoning board. It is not something most people are comfortable doing.
So what can be done? In the early to mid 1900’s cities would determine zoning based on existing uses and then make the hard choices as to what the correct zoning was. Another, very closely related option, has been to had a framework that continuously evaluates zoning such what is done in Portland.
Seems like an obvious solution, so why isn’t it done? The biggest reasons I have heard are: variations of NIMBY that politicians are afraid might scare away support for reelection, and that there are other priorities. [Ready to add more ..[
For NIMBY – the fix is to do the rezones piecemeal. There are blighted areas in most urban areas – either increase density, by making it zoned multi-family or apartment, or make commercial/ industrial. If is a concerns about constituents I think most will be concerned with no-their negihborhood.
Another option is to present rezoning/ redevelopment is as a way for older families that already own their home, or have a second home, to increase home value for minimal expense. Add a second home if the lot is large enough. Split a large house into a duplex and collect a rent after the kids have left home.
A huge benefit of rezoning is that redevelopment is self-funded. A home owner may be able to build a house on their existing lot – the land is ‘free’ and they are only paying for the construction costs.
The another one, as discussed above, is that it is the ideal way to reduce housing pressure – allow families to build the housing rather than relaying on large developers.
The suggestion: start looking a rezoning urban areas. Most cities have not done a thorough review of zoning in years – and it shows. Poor usage or land, limit opportunities to develop, and extreme pressure on housing in the largest urban areas.