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Ok! Let's talk housing and how we build a lot of it very quickly in Seattle. Yes, this is a THREAD.
#Seattle #housing #urbanism
1/21
#Seattle #housing #urbanism
1/21
So let's break down some of the issues:
#1 - lack of housing
Per the lovely research done by Microsoft, as of November 2019 Seattle has the follow gap in housing units needed:
91K units for <60% MHI (MHI = 89,675)
103.3K units for 60-120% MHI
2/21 https://news.microsoft.com/affordable-housing/
#1 - lack of housing
Per the lovely research done by Microsoft, as of November 2019 Seattle has the follow gap in housing units needed:
91K units for <60% MHI (MHI = 89,675)
103.3K units for 60-120% MHI
2/21 https://news.microsoft.com/affordable-housing/
#2 homelessness crisis
From the point in time count that just came out, we have 11,751 unhoused individuals that comprises somewhere around 5,500 households.
https://regionalhomelesssystem.org/king-county-point-in-time-count/
3/21
From the point in time count that just came out, we have 11,751 unhoused individuals that comprises somewhere around 5,500 households.
https://regionalhomelesssystem.org/king-county-point-in-time-count/
3/21
#3 Climate crisis
We need to cut the city's emissions in half, with most of our emissions coming from cars. This means more housing close to jobs (so people who work in the city to live here) but also allowing for more housing to be near the things we use (schools, parks, etc.)
We need to cut the city's emissions in half, with most of our emissions coming from cars. This means more housing close to jobs (so people who work in the city to live here) but also allowing for more housing to be near the things we use (schools, parks, etc.)
#3 continued - we also have to need to cut emissions in half by 2030, so ideally we do most of our building before that date and it should be housing that will last 70+ years
5/21
5/21
#4 - a long and ugly permitting process
Essentially, no one likes the buildings currently produced and no one enjoys the process. For many, Design Review is simply a way to slow down gentrification, which shocker, seems to be tied to urban villages located...
6/21
Essentially, no one likes the buildings currently produced and no one enjoys the process. For many, Design Review is simply a way to slow down gentrification, which shocker, seems to be tied to urban villages located...
6/21
#4 continued - ...where people of color are. Someone did this earlier this week, but essentially if you line up urban villages with old redlining maps, things look about the same.
SO! Now that we put all that on the table:
7/21
SO! Now that we put all that on the table:
7/21
How do we build thousands of units of housing as quickly as possible?
Here is what I'm thinking:
8/21
Here is what I'm thinking:
8/21
1) We need to implement HB 2343 within the next twelve months. The time for studies has long passed. It doesn't take a professional degree to see that in order to build the housing we need we need to have places to allow it. Even the current total capacity...
9/21
9/21
...of 350k some odd units isn't half of what we need, and if we expect MHA to cover all the costs, and based on last years totals of roughly 1 affordable housing unit for every 9 market-rate units, we'd have to have capacity for 1.9MM housing units.
10/21
10/21
That also means revising the land code to allow every single parcel in the city to build more than just four units. We need to be in the mindset of building once to last for 70+ years. Indeed, that was the thought behind most of the homes that are now historic.
11/21
11/21
** so now we have the capacity to be able to build, so the next hurdle is process**
no one is happy with Design Review, and I think a lot of the concerns around shoddy construction will be removed when we promote sustainable principles in architecture.
12/21
no one is happy with Design Review, and I think a lot of the concerns around shoddy construction will be removed when we promote sustainable principles in architecture.
12/21
That said, a lot of the things we ask for in design guidelines (jogs, more glass) run counter to sustainable design requirements.
So #2 is: Exempt all buildings that are sustainably certified from Design Review.
13/21
So #2 is: Exempt all buildings that are sustainably certified from Design Review.
13/21
What this could look like is, if you building qualifies for:
- Living Building Challenge
- LEED Platinum
- Green Built 5 Star
- PHI or PHIUS Passive House
you are exempt from Design Review.
14/21
- Living Building Challenge
- LEED Platinum
- Green Built 5 Star
- PHI or PHIUS Passive House
you are exempt from Design Review.
14/21
these certifications are already extremely stringent, and by both reducing the time to permit as well as reducing the number of projects that must go through Design Review, we are allowing for some innovation in look that is still certified and will last for decades.
15/21
15/21
And yes, there would be a punitive penalty to ensure that the project still meets standards a year after opening. I think this money would be split into an affordable housing fund and then neighborhood park/improvement projects which are always underfunded.
16/21
16/21
**next challenge** we need more people to both review permits as well as help with actually building the projects.
This would be #3 - increasing funding for permit reviews and provide training for them coupled with increasing funding to apprenticeships programs.
17/21
This would be #3 - increasing funding for permit reviews and provide training for them coupled with increasing funding to apprenticeships programs.
17/21
We know that good union jobs with high salaries are within grasp within the construction industry. I think if we put more money to assisting the expansion of apprenticeships along with stipends for those going through programs we can make a huge impact and get housing online.
**and lastly, where will all the money come from to do this**
#4 must be the creation of a public bank. For many the ability to enter into this new wealth, which won't come solely through public entities executing projects, means opportunities for many...
19/21
#4 must be the creation of a public bank. For many the ability to enter into this new wealth, which won't come solely through public entities executing projects, means opportunities for many...
19/21
...but unless we provide access to capital, the same players who have always been at the table will take their fill while larger multinationals come and execute projects that could be easily done by locals.
20/21
20/21
I believe that every single landowner in the city should be able to develop their own property, and if that means also developing a new REET to take some of this money and turn it back into publicly subsidized housing, then let's do it.
END.
21/21
END.
21/21
**BONUS**
Feel free to check out my website and particularly my blog for more ideas on architecture and urbanism. http://www.housecosmopolitan.com
Feel free to check out my website and particularly my blog for more ideas on architecture and urbanism. http://www.housecosmopolitan.com
