The supply of affordable housing integrates urban, architectural, and design issues explains Maxwell Drever. Issues of sustainability, design, planning, social equity, and ownership are also a vital part of this phenomenon. Several governments are trying to analyze this issue of the short supply of affordable residential units.
They are trying to identify, solve and address this challenge of housing. There are multiple design issues, including creating compact and spatially rich housing units, which may change how accommodation gets interpreted in all these years. Moreover, it brings in the innovative use of construction methods, construction materials, and proper use of outdoor space.
How does the government look at affordable housing?
- By synthesizing the complex housing issue, the government has tried to identify specific regions of significance. Sustainability is the area of concern. The maintenance, construction, and energy costs also play an essential role. Using state regulations will be possible to narrow down the gap between the demand and supply of affordable housing.
- As a result, governments define affordable housing as a residence for families belonging to an area median income of 60 to 120%, asserts Maxwell Drever. These families with stagnant wages cannot spend more than 30% of their income paying housing rent. Hence, they are looking for affordable units in and around their job location.
- The workforce population forming the backbone of society is the service providers. Teachers, police officers, nurses, doctors, and firefighters form an integral part of this population. The worldwide pandemic has resulted in a severe economic blow, and this section is the worst affected. As a result, the search for affordable communities has boosted the real estate market.
How is affordable housing affecting society?
As mentioned earlier, affordable housing is a problem for the workforce population and every other part of society. Whether it is the urban area or suburban local, people from these regions have to undertake long commute times to reach their workplace. Hence, employers are also not getting a smooth supply of workers in and around the industrial location. Thus, it is affecting every section of society.
How can the government address this issue?
Based on project research and community participation, the government needs to develop new strategies. Single room occupancy with other supported and shared housing models has become an issue for governments. Hence, Maxwell Drever says they are coming up with grants and rent control measures to minimize the effect of the housing shortage on society. However, some more steps become necessary:
- Relaxation of building regulation and zoning protocol.
- Providing grants for financing projects undertaken by real estate investors and developers.
- Community development and savvy city designs for recognizing the effectiveness of national and local support programs and subsidies.
- Building codes and policies with zoning ordinances need reduction to aid the development of affordable residential units.
The depressing economic issue is not an easy challenge to overcome. The world has seen a lot when the pandemic hit every section adversely. Hence, the joint effort of the public and private sectors is the only means to overcome the social and economic issue of housing. The central part of these efforts is recognizing an open and free society requiring accessibility and fairness in housing.