Housing is a major worry for District residents. A majority say that rising prices might force them to move out of the city, according to a recent Washington Post poll.

Photo by the author.

Buried a recent headline about the racial difference between whether residents felt welcome in what some have come to think of as the “new DC”— the Post‘s headline was “Poll: White residents in D.C. think redevelopment helps them. Black residents don’t.”— was this statement about mobility:

Overall, the poll found that 56 percent of District residents say that housing costs would force them to the suburbs if they had to move, an increase from 48 percent in a 2011 Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

Rising prices are making it harder for current residents to stay near the economic opportunity that’s in the District, and for new residents to move toward it. That’s a scary thought for any place that wants to retain the idealism and ambition that drive its progress.

This isn’t a new problem, but it’s getting much worse over time because demand keeps growing faster than supply. If we could build more housing units— and build them more densely— there would be room in the market for someone to offer places to live even for people with modest budgets.

People moving to the suburbs is also, of course, troubling from a smart growth perspective. If we can build enough to accommodate more residents (and we can), why are we at a point where a majority of DC residents feel like the best move is out toward the sprawl?

Another interesting poll finding: DC voters apparently care more about housing than transportation. 21% of DC voters say housing or gentrification should be mayor’s #1 priority, vs. 4% in 2011. Only 8% answered transportation.