Reply to Is there a coherent argument that loosening zoning laws will lead to affordable housing in DC?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

I've read every post, and there isn't a single one that offers a coherent explanation of how any of this leads to affordable housing.

If any of this was actually true, why can't anyone explain it?

It's not an outrageous request to say tell me how that would work. [/quote]

It depends on what you mean by "affordable housing." What do you mean?

The simple explanation is:

Housing in DC is expensive because demand exceeds supply. So, if you increase supply (for example, by allowing property owners to build duplexes, triple-deckers, or four-plexes by right), then demand will exceed supply by less, and the price of housing will decrease - i.e., become affordable to more people.

There are two objections to this:

a. if you increase the number of units and the price decreases, then people will move in from elsewhere and the price will just go back up again. I see this as a feature, not a bug: here are neighborhoods where people want to live, more housing means more people can live there, this is good. But also there is surely not an infinite supply of people who want to move to DC.

b. the price of housing will not decrease enough to become affordable for people who are poor. This is true. The market by itself won't solve this problem. That's why there [i]also[/i] has to be housing built by the government or non-profits.

None of this is complicated, and all of it has been explained multiple times at great length on this thread, so I don't understand the difficulty.[/quote]

I think you've inadvertently shown what's so disingenuous about these arguments for increasing density.

'Affordable' has a specific meaning in the context of housing. It doesn't mean $800,000 condos. It doesn't mean "whatever people on DCUM think is a reasonable price for housing." It definitely doesn't mean "more affordable."

It typically means (according to the government) people don't have to spend more than 30 percent of their post-tax income on housing.

Explain to me how increasing density will ensure that someone earning $45,000 will not have to spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.

If you can't do that, stop claiming you're increasing affordable housing, because it's not true. [/quote]

Literally no one in this thread has claimed that ONLY increasing density will mean more affordable housing. Increased density is part of a series of changes that would, in combination, increase affordable housing. People have argued that increasing density would bring down the median price of housing in neighborhoods with added density, which is true but doesn't necessarily mean the housing will be affordable. People have also argued for other policy ideas that would have to accompany increased density in order to increase the supply of affordable housing.

And then people have insisted, in response, in defeating a straw man, which is the imaginary notion that all you have to do to increase affordable housing is increase density. [/quote]

more of the duplicity right here.

people on this thread in favor of increasing density have said over and over and over that this is how you create affordable housing.

allow me to quote, from posts in just the past couple pages:

"I am a married white guy in my 40s who agrees with the idea of ending SFH zoning in my neighborhood in Ward 3 so more marginalized and poor people can afford to live here."

"There needs to be more options in expensive areas for marginalized people and low income families. It’s not fair to keep building McMansions to keep people of color out of neighborhoods"

ive heard very little talk here of "other policy options" you say would be needed to actually create affordable housing.

glad to hear you finally admit that, when it comes to increasing density and creating affordable housing, it's all just a big lie. [/quote]

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