For #EarthDay , a quick thread.

We don't always talk about it this way, but housing and zoning are issues of climate and environmental justice.

Here's why

Simply put, single-family homes are worse for the environment than higher-density housing like #MissingMiddle.

A big reason is carbon emissions. Not only does low-density housing use energy less efficiently, but zoning exclusively for single-family homes increases car-reliance.

This map from @CoolClimateNw is household carbon emissions in the DMV.

Notice how DC and its immediate suburbs have lower household emissions? That's chiefly because of higher-density development that conserves energy & facilitates the use of public transit, biking, or walking.

Another negative consequence of low-density zoning is that it takes more land to produce less housing.

Instead of allowing for multi-family housing in existing neighborhoods, single-family zoning sprawls into previously untouched areas, where the natural landscape is torn down.

Where we allow for affordable housing also has huge implications for environmental justice.

Ex: research shows that black & brown neighborhoods bear the weight of pollution.

But exclusionary zoning makes finding a home in a better neighborhood tough. https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2019-05-24/asthma-air-pollution-rates-higher-in-historically-redlined-neighborhoods

The bottom line is that it's near *impossible* to solve the climate crisis if we don't prioritize housing + transit the same way we do other parts of the economy.

If we embrace density, we can lower emissions, strengthen public transit and supply the affordable housing we need.