Housing Density as a Climate Lever

This is a fascinating conversation from Climate One about the relationship between environmentalism and housing. It’s not what you think.

Berkeley Vice Mayor Ben Bartlett, State Senator Scott Wiener, and Holland & Knight's West Coast Land Use and Environmental Group’s Jennifer Hernandez talk about the impact environmentalism has on housing in California and the “historic undersupply of housing.” “Infill development could be a solution. That means building in vacant or underutilized land typically in urban areas. It can also mean adding more density to existing single-family home neighborhoods by changing zoning to allow things like accessory dwelling units, more commonly known as guest houses or mother-in-law units.” When Ronald Reagan killed public housing, it’s not a coincidence that homelessness skyrocketed nationwide.

“Single family zoning is a vestige of a racist practice known as “red-lining.” Wiener says, “Single-family zoning was invented about 100 years ago after the Supreme Court struck down racial zoning.” This style of zoning actually started in Berkeley, California, as an effort to keep people of color out of the community without explicitly forbidding them from living there. Single family zoning has become the norm in neighborhoods across the country.” Starting in the 70’s and 80’s cities started prohibiting multi family zoning making single family houses the standard, limiting population density.

We need to make it easier to build in sustaining communities, near jobs, schools, and amenities. Our current systems empower “obstructionists” rather than empowering the people in communities. Hernandez argues that “… new construction further away from urban cores can be both more affordable and more environmentally sound: “It's...easier to build new in a way that is entirely sustainable, net zero for greenhouse gas. The most water and energy conserving structures that we know how to build are the current building codes.” Urban, walkable, energy savvy communities are racial and baby boomer prejudice. Even with the added transportation needs of building outside urban areas, she argues this strategy works. She says the answer is limiting housing costs to 4 times the area median income.

What all agree on is that the “WallStreetification” of home ownership makes housing the “fulcrum” of society’s problems. The people hoarding wealth - land owners - are incentivized to keep others from being owners.