Housing affordability drives supercommuting

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/8967868

This op-ed details how housing has gotten faaaar more expensive over the past several decades but without corresponding wage growth, leaving it increasingly unaffordable. The author (correctly) argues that this is due to the rising land values, which does not represent true wealth creation and is rather simply a vehicle for wealth redistribution from the younger and working class to the older and landed.

In urbanist and YIMBY circles, we often talk a lot about missing middle housing, but this is actually a very broad category. This video gives more in-depth information about the kinds of missing middle housing and how prevalent they are in the five biggest Canadian cities.

YIMBYism works, y'all.

Non-paywall link: https://archive.ph/HLM7s

Despite the wild accusations, this is about providing parks and grocery stores within walking distance of people’s homes

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/7639583

This video by BritMonkey gives an introduction to Georgism and the importance of land value taxation.

This video explains zoning and how these often obscure codes tremendously influence our built environment.

Property owners in Edmonton will be able to build three-storey apartment buildings, townhouses, rowhouses or duplexes with up to eight units in any residential area citywide starting next year.

Edmonton city council voted 11-2 Monday morning to pass the revised zoning bylaw, which ends so-called “exclusionary” zoning that limited many residential zones to only single-family homes plus garden or backyard suites. Councillors Jennifer Rice and Karen Principe were opposed. The law comes into effect Jan. 1.

“A lot of people don’t realize, one of the reasons that certain communities in this country don’t have enough homes is because it’s literally illegal to build the kinds of homes that people could live in,” Fraser said on Friday.

In much of the country, zoning restrictions mean developers are only allowed to build either single-family homes or condo towers in residential areas. There is a huge chunk of housing options, often referred to as “missing middle housing,” that does not get built.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/7083978

Mississauga city council voted down a proposal on Wednesday that would have allowed fourplexes across the city but it decided instead to ask staff to consult on the feasibility of the idea and report back.

In a tie vote, council defeated the motion moved by Ward 2 Coun. Alvin Tedjo and seconded by Ward 5 Coun. Carolyn Parrish. The motion, which aims to address what is widely referred to as the "missing middle" of housing availability, called on the city to allow four units "as of right" in Mississauga. A fourplex is a residential building with four separate dwelling units.

archive link: https://web.archive.org/save/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Ftoronto%2Fmississauga-fourplexes-vote-motion-defeated-1.6993400

Fifteen unique kit-set timber homes have sprung up in the forest outside Watson Lake, Yukon, created by — and for — members of the Liard First Nation (LFN).

The project, run by the First Nation's economic development corporation First Kaska, is being billed as a game changer.

The frame parts are cut on-site at a brand new production plant, with three different floor plans available.

It takes five days to prepare the frame for each house and just one day to piece the numbered frame parts together on the building site.

Watson Lake is grappling with a housing crisis, and LFN Chief Stephen Charlie said the project is "a paradigm shift."

Tthe project eliminates the supply chain issues that make it difficult to build new homes, he said.

Charlie said it's created about 50 jobs and will go a long way toward ensuring the well-being and long-term security of his people.

"It's a complete cycle. It's a benefit for our whole community and people and nation in the process. My vision is that we become the first First Nation north of 60 without a housing crisis. Just think of the legacy that's going to be established for future generations — that we don't have to worry about housing," he said.

"We're taking control of our own destiny … and it's not just the First Nation that it's moving forward, it's the whole community as well."

Liard First Nation member Mike Gagnon said the chance to train and work as a carpenter on the project turned his son's life around. Gagnon said his son had gone from a battle with leukemia and heavy use of alcohol to a good job and savings.

"He's just taken it and run with it. I'm really proud of him," he said.

A former builder himself, Gagnon said the houses were among the warmest and toughest he'd seen.

They feature 20 centimetres of insulation in the walls and almost 23 in the roof.

"I've never seen it. And these are well-built homes. As you can see, these are well-constructed. They're well-organized. You look at the floor plans and these are unreal. These homes — you ain't ever going to get a better one. And this is all because of Stephen [Charlie]."

First Kaska hopes to complete the first 15 homes by the end of the year and six more after that.

They will be given to members of the Liard First Nation who most need them, including young families and people living in crowded situations.

"That's 21 homes. That's probably like 60 people that can be alleviated from bad situations," Charlie said.

Eventually, Charlie said, the goal would be to demolish and replace other mouldy or derelict homes that members are living in.

First Kaska plans to scale up its production plant, allowing it to produce frames in just one day.

That would create a surplus of supply, Charlie said, meaning First Kaska could begin to supply the frames to other communities across the North.

Charlie said some other First Nations have already expressed interest.

Oftentimes people claim that the housing crisis is a result of investors outbidding regular home buyers, not a fundamental shortage of supply. This video debunks that idea, using the city of Rotterdam -- which effectively banned buy-to-let speculators across much of the city -- as an example. The result actually worsened housing affordability for lower-income households and increased gentrification.

In short, there is no solving the housing crisis without simply building more housing.

CityNerd presents a broad thesis video on why urbanism is good, why we should have more of it, and the way in which our cities could be better.

Non-paywall link: https://archive.ph/VIpSH

Tokyo is the most populous city in the world, and yet

Two full-time workers earning Tokyo’s minimum wage can comfortably afford the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in six of the city’s 23 wards. By contrast, two people working minimum-wage jobs cannot afford the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in any of the 23 counties in the New York metropolitan area.

The reason why? It's easy to build new housing in Tokyo.

In Tokyo, by contrast, there is little public or subsidized housing. Instead, the government has focused on making it easy for developers to build. A national zoning law, for example, sharply limits the ability of local governments to impede development. Instead of allowing the people who live in a neighborhood to prevent others from living there, Japan has shifted decision-making to the representatives of the entire population, allowing a better balance between the interests of current residents and of everyone who might live in that place. Small apartment buildings can be built almost anywhere, and larger structures are allowed on a vast majority of urban land. Even in areas designated for offices, homes are permitted. After Tokyo’s office market crashed in the 1990s, developers started building apartments on land they had purchased for office buildings.

Those escaping domestic violence and abuse struggle to find affordable housing, providing yet another barrier to survivors escaping abusive partners.

This is yet another sobering example of why we critically need YIMBY and pro-housing policies.