In Our View: Not Enough Places to Live

A shortage of affordable housing and an increasing homeless population has thrust the mid-sized city of Vancouver into the realm of big-city problems.

As part of a major metropolitan area, the region is faced with issues not often associated with cities of its size. Namely, that the population is increasing more quickly than the number of housing units. It is Economics 101 to distill the impact: More people seeking a place to live drives up housing costs, prices many people out of the market, and contributes to incidents of homelessness. As The Columbian detailed recently, Clark County’s population grew about 2 percent from 2014 to 2015, while the number of places to live — both single-family homes and apartments — increased by a little more than 1 percent. It doesn’t take an economics degree to figure out that is not sustainable.

This formula is being repeated in cities throughout the country, and it is particularly problematic along the nation’s coasts, which are viewed as desirable locations and also tend to have environmental regulations and growth restrictions that limit construction. As cities grapple with the dichotomy of growth management, The Wall Street Journal provided some suggestions last month in a story headlined “How to Make City Housing More Affordable”:

• Housing-assistance programs often help the neediest, but at the same time can increase pressure on other segments of the population. In other words, while much attention has been placed upon helping low-income residents, programs such as requirements for developers to include low-income spaces alongside high-end units can help push the middle class out of the market.

• Adding housing units is the only sure way to ease pressure on the market, but that also requires that the right kind of housing be built. In large cities these days, there is increased demand for urban, walkable neighborhoods — a trend that is playing out in downtown Vancouver. Most of Clark County, however, appeals to those seeking single-family homes outside of the dense urban area.

• The quest for a mix of housing development often ignores the middle ground such as duplexes and townhouses. As Mark Peters wrote for the Wall Street Journal: “The challenge here often is opposition from existing homeowners. Last year, a government task force in Seattle released a comprehensive plan for housing affordability that faced stiff opposition from the public because it called for greater density in existing neighborhoods. Elected officials backed away from that aspect of the plan.”

The Vancouver City Council is pondering sending to voters a special property tax to support housing for low-income families. That will warrant consideration and much discussion. But over the long term, addressing the housing crunch and a growing homeless crisis will require strong action from government at all levels.

More housing is needed, and that housing must include a balance between single-family homes and multi-family dwellings, and between a dense city core and outlying areas. And, as the Wall Street Journal details, cities must be wary of ignoring the middle class and eschewing mid-level housing. The problem is not going away without sharp management and bold entrepreneurship.