Join this three session series to discuss the book Brave New Home: Our Future in Smarter, Simpler, Happier Housing led by Extension educators in home and finance.
Will Up-Zoning Make Housing More Affordable?
Making neighborhoods denser is an idea with growing appeal. The question is whether it works.
June 17, 2019 • Seattle’s housing market has been red-hot for almost a decade. Across the Northwest’s largest metropolitan area, real estate is not only expensive, upward of a million dollars for homes in some of the nicest enclaves, but often sells in a matter of days.
A complex of forces the growth of Amazon, the technological might of Microsoft, the jobs those companies bring and a dearth of available real estate has made Seattle one of the costliest housing markets in the country. Only San Francisco and Las Vegas have outpaced Seattle in rising home prices in the last six years, according to the Case-Shiller Home Price Indices report. It’s not just home-buying that has been expensive, but also renting. The rental market may have cooled some in the last year, but that’s after years of i
Single-family homes in Hillcrest, in DC.
As the Washington region, and the country, grapple with a housing shortage, the role single-family homes play in this crisis can not be understated. Currently, in the District, about 75% of all tax lots are zoned single-family; in the region, about 74% are single-family only. That’s a
lot and does not come without a cost
. Diana Lind, author of “Brave New Home: Our Future in Smarter, Simpler, Happier Housing” writes about the impact of this phenomenon in housing:
“The more I searched these issues, the more I became convinced that the presumed benefits of single-family homes masked their negative social, economic, and environmental consequences. The data suggest that the current housing paradigm predominantly oriented around owning a single-family home is unaffordable, unhealthy, and out of step with consumer demand. And a large and growing portion of the population is unable to access the homeownership lifestyle, even if they des
Brave New Home pulls apart how Americans became infatuated with single-family houses but how even those who can afford them find them find that they can be financial, emotional, and social drains. The book explores solutions to the social, economic, and environmental consequences of single-family living, such as accessory dwelling units, co-living, multigenerational living, and wellness communities.
This is a free event, but contributions to GGWash for events like this help make them possible. If you’re able to support, please do so here. Thank you!
Tuesday, April 27
Learn how to make Ward 3 a more inclusive and affordable place to live: Ward 3 Vision and the Coalition for Smarter Growth are hosting a paneled discussion about the various tools and options Ward 3 has to “increase housing choices and create more affordable housing throughout the city.” Speakers include Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, GGWash Board Chair Tracy Hadden Loh, Ph.D., Brookings Institution Fellow a