Fighting for Housing
At the recommendation of one of our clients, collaborators and a kindred spirit, Brian Harkins, we’ve dug into Conor Dougherty’s new book “Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America", released in February. The book chronicles the struggles of multiple Bay Area housing advoctates and couldn’t come at a more appropriate time. Dougherty follows Sonja Trauss, a math teacher turned housing advocate who built a local political movement dedicated to advocating for new, denser neighborhoods and providing a voice to those who will live in the buildings we propose to counteract typical NIMBY (not in my backyard) resistance. The book follows a teenage girl who leads her apartment complex against their rent-raising landlord. A nun who tries to outmaneuver private equity investors by amassing a multi-million dollar portfolio of affordable homes. A suburban bureaucrat who embraces density in response to the threat of climate change. A San Francisco politician looking to remove red tape from the review process. And a developer who seeks to manufacture housing for the homeless on an assembly line to fastrack a solution to California’s growing problem. The quote below sums up the complicated task ahead of our state:
“It’s complicated stuff, and once you get into the details and peel back the history and ask what sorts of policies will actually lead to a world that is more stable and more equitable, it’s hard to walk away with a belief that any sort of rigidity is the answer. It’s a fraught leap from ‘the government is responsible for redlining and redevelopment’ to ‘therefore socialism.’ It seems equally fraught to believe that a capitalism that creates a business model on eviction and homelessness would make us all better off if it were allowed to fully run its course”
It’s a great read, well-written and provides a well-researched backstory on how we got to our current housing shortage, specific to the Bay Area. After reading, Tiffany and I are rejuvenating our advocacy for safe, affordable, and dense development and will continue to seek opportunity to advocate and partner with folks looking to attack our housing shortage.
