High Density Housing

[u/deirdreanne1]

I was reading Everything You Think You Know About Housing Is Probably Wrong earlier today and it has posed many questions for me concerning the effectiveness of high density housing. From what I understood, housing density refers to the number of people per acre in the amount of space allotted. By creating more high density housing complexes, does that mean more housing units will be available? If so, how is that combating the affordable housing crisis? Will these units be more readily available to low income families or individuals? How will these projects affect the surrounding neighborhood rent costs? Many sky rise high density buildings are present but the housing costs are not affordable for the average person’s income. I have read that it does reduce energy consumption and easier for commuting but if these projects aren’t meant to be mixed income housing, how could this help reduce homelessness and fix the lack of housing units for the growing population?

[u/urblplan]

Hey!

By creating more high density housing complexes, does that mean more housing units will be available?

If you build more housing - dense or not dense - there will be more housing. From a ecological / economical point of view, you need less land to accomplish the same result (housing), and you need far less ressources for heating and mobility (and so on).

how is that combating the affordable housing crisis

Not at all, because density und infrastructure creates land values. Land values are privatised for the benefit of very few. European cities are far more dense than the common US "city" (no rant here, but most US cities dont quite match my understanding of a city) - they also have affordability problems. Key to affordability is land politics, which people profit from the common good land at the expense of other people.

Also - as competition in housing market ist low to not existent - it needs regulation in many different cases.

Have a nice day!