By Mike Dobbins

June 25 — In these times, when political, business, and community leaders are bombarded with indignant clamor over often-competing demands, expediency often wins out over knowledge. And, as wryly noted by columnist Bill Torpy in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “truth should not stand in the way of indignation.”

Such is the case with mounting frenzy over zoning in Atlanta — and all over the country. YIMBY (for Yes in My Backyard) and “Abundant Housing” movements, often attracting well-meaning people to join in, put forth a claim that building more housing anywhere, everywhere will produce diverse and affordable shelter for all.

Read to the bottom to continue with this preview of Dobbins’ slide presentation: “Affordable Housing? Affordable for Whom? What’s zoning got to do with it?”

A free-spirited woman from the San Francisco Bay Area, Sonja Trauss, is often cited as a primary source for the idea. The concept evolved into “upzoning,” i.e. relaxing zoning guidance in single family neighborhoods, as the “solution” to the production and affordability of housing.

“Free” market, libertarian investment forces pounced on the idea, and these entities are investing heavily in implementing it in cities, in states and at the federal level. Consistent with their drive to reduce citizen involvement, thus control over laws and resources held by their governments, these forces seek to turn over neighborhoods’ and cities’ roles in shaping their futures to the “free” market.

The stakes for all are high. Two-thirds of most cities’ land area are located in single family neighborhoods, thus a juicy source for “free” market plunder. Lost in this formulation is the reality that these are precisely the same forces that have caused the affordability crisis in the first place.

Yet their tactics depend on persuading people that this is the silver bullet solution. By proclaiming it far and wide, they bypass understanding what is a really complicated, multi-faceted set of problems. Their very messiness deters people, from political and civic leaders on down, from engaging. The cleverly marketed drumroll for upzoning seems inescapable.

The claimed promise, though, of boosting production and affordability, does not work. In cities that have tried it, production is meager and housing costs have risen. The following presentation goes deeper into the problems – causes and effects. And it offers alternative approaches for actually boosting production and affordability toward the goal of housing for all.

Dobbins’ slide presentation: Affordable Housing? Affordable for Whom? What’s zoning got to do with it?

Abundant Housing YIMBY zoning

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