Posts about HousingRSS
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We’ve worked for nine months on a better Comp Plan. Here’s what we’ve got.
The DC Comprehensive Plan doesn’t do enough to encourage and direct growth in an inclusive way. We have worked with a diverse group of partners to draft a set of amendments that we think make the Comp Plan a stronger, better guide for the city’s growth. Keep reading…
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Columbia, Maryland was an early template for smart growth. It turns 50 this week.
One part real estate project, one part social experiment, Columbia, Maryland is one of the most ambitious and successful planned communities ever built in the US. Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of the Columbia's founding, so it’s a good time to reflect on both the project and its principal proponent, developer James Rouse. Keep reading…
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Chat: How should reporters write about “up and coming” neighborhoods?
Last week, an article called “River Terrace is a modest jewel tucked away in NE Washington” ran in the Washington Post’s Real Estate section. The next day, DCist staff writer Christina Sturdivant, who grew up in River Terrace, wrote that article’s author left out a lot of important detail about the neighborhood. Christina, some GGWash editorial board members, and I recently talked about the matter. Keep reading…
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Map: What do you need to earn per hour to afford your neighborhood?
How much do you need to make to live in each state in the US? A new has a map that shows what a person would need to earn to afford an average two-bedroom apartment in each state, and in neighborhoods within dense metro areas, without spending more than 30% of their income on rent. In DC, it’s $33.58 per hour. Keep reading…
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As Chinatown grows, some long-time residents wonder where they fit
“Chinatown’s identity is the people who live there.” That’s what Chinatown means to Yi Chen, a documentary filmmaker and adjunct professor at George Mason University. But what happens when those people can’t connect with other District residents, or when they can’t live in Chinatown? Keep reading…
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How to ask for more affordable housing but make building it impossible
The progressive group DC for Democracy (DC4D) wants to create more affordable housing. That’s great. But a recent recommendation from the group would actually have the effect of reducing it. Keep reading…
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Not everyone who lives in our community gets to be part of it
Most of us say that we want our local organizations to be more diverse and that we need to do better outreach. But before we can build more inclusive communities and civic bodies, we must understand that there are real barriers that prevent some of our neighbors from participating equally. Keep reading…
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DC’s Comprehensive Plan, a document we use today, preserves the racial segregation of our past
In its current planning documents, DC classifies neighborhoods in a way that looks disturbingly similar to “redlining” maps from the past. By labeling large sections of DC as “stable” and creating policies that insulate these areas, the city appears to be preserving residential segregation. Keep reading…
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High costs aren’t the only reason people move away from cities. Sometimes, they just want to live somewhere else.
A lot of writing about housing in DC says minorities, immigrants, and low-income people are being pushed out of the city due to high housing costs. That’s true for many. But even if the District were more affordable, some may not choose to live there. And that’d be okay. Keep reading…
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Should these Anacostia homes become affordable housing?
Four homes in Historic Anacostia have sat vacant and in disrepair for decades, despite years of neighbors’ efforts to redevelop and preserve them. The DC government owns these blighted properties and just recently designated them to be rehabilitated and turned into affordable housing. But some neighbors and DC Councilmembers say an earlier plan— one that would make them market rate homes— should be the one moving forward. Keep reading…
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Redevelopment at Brookland Manor moves forward, but affordable housing challenges loom
Last week, DC’s Zoning Commission approved property owner MidCity Financial’s plan to redevelop the first of eight blocks at Brookland Manor. Two big questions that aren't going anywhere: How should DC regulate development, and what obligation does it have to care for low-income residents? Keep reading…
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DC has a slumlord problem and not enough inspectors to solve it
Some landlords in DC have been forcing their tenants live in horrendous conditions for years, without having to make fixes or pay fines. Part of the problem is that the DC government only employs 13 housing inspectors, so it's easy for housing code violators to slip through the cracks. Keep reading…
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For a healthy city, include housing for everyone
"Growing inclusively means that individuals and families are not confined to particular economic and geographic boundaries but are able to make important choices — choices about where they live, how and where they earn a living, how they get around the city, and where their children go to school." Keep reading…
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“We’re already in jail:” Evictions and private policing at Brookland Manor
Some tenants at Brookland Manor say management and a former security company mistreated them, and that the owner, who wants to develop the property, is trying to push them out. This post takes a look at those allegations. Keep reading…
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Arlington banned rowhouses in 1938. We’re suffering the consequences now.
The Washington region's dramatic undersupply of missing middle housing is a serious problem. One reason it's so severe: Arlington once banned rowhouses trying to preserve its suburban character. Keep reading…
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Would plans for Brookland Manor mean fewer affordable apartments? Yes, if you look closely.
The owners of Brookland Manor say their redevelopment plan would replace all of the existing affordable housing at the complex. Residents and advocates say that isn't true. Read the latest installment in our series on one of DC's most contentious housing cases. Keep reading…
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We need townhouses and more to house the “missing middle,” but there aren’t enough
Would you like to own a townhouse? Is it tough to afford one? If so, you're not alone. A recent panel at the Urban Land Institute's Real Estate Trends conference looked at the housing needs of the "missing middle," who want townhouses which are in short supply. Keep reading…
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Why do “crazy people like me” determine our housing policy?
Attending hearings and meetings about whether to build new housing often requires time and a flexible schedule that, for a number of reasons, many people don't have. It'd be a mistake to think that the only people with opinions on what should happen in their neighborhoods are the ones who show up to talk about them. Keep reading…
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Why the right is wrong about affordable housing
It's problematic to think that supply and demand don't apply to housing. But on the other end of the spectrum, a free-market approach isn’t the whole answer to housing affordability, either. Keep reading…
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Why the left is wrong about affordable housing
Whenever we discuss housing affordability, we usually hear two major opposing beliefs. Both are well-honed, clear arguments. And both are wrong — or at least, not completely right. This post will address what’s wrong with the left’s notion that supply and demand don’t apply. Keep reading…
