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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-ArticleFlorida American Planning Association -- April/May 2007 Workforce Housing? By Eran Spiro BS,c MUP 02.2 \ck),01 In its simplest terms, the function of affordable housing is to provide acceptable accommodation for those individuals and/or families whose income is insufficient to rent or let alone purchase homes of their own. Whether privately owned or rental dwelling units are preferable for the large number in need is by no means a settled question, particularly as availability of funds and financial terms are in constant flux. Many different methods have been used to finance and produce affordable housing in the last sixty years: direct government involvement, trade unions and co-operative sponsorship, and private developers and builders. Obtaining finance through various means such as tax abatement, federal and state subsidies, and at times by direct government grants has been widely used with some success. In Florida, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a family has to have 2.6 wage earners in full time employment at minimum wage or an individual working 102 hours per week in order to qualify for a simple two -bedroom dwelling unit. Florida ranked 37th in housing affordability in the USA and 49th in education. It can be deduced that there is a direct correlation between these alarming statistics. When one does not have the requisite skill to earn disposable income to pay rent or service a mortgage he/she need financial assistance with shelter. Satisfying affordable housing needs is an important component of the general welfare of the public. The Federal, States, Counties and Municipalities should ensure that diversity of housing types and price -range are being offered at realistic and feasible cost. The introduction of a NATIONAL HOUSING TRUST FUND should be legislated by the house and senate and signed into law. Behind this simple statements, however, lie problems of vast magnitude, infinite complexity and grave social and economic consequences. It is a problem with which the Federal, State, County and Local governments are ceaselessly being confronted, and a problem which daily grows more and more acute. The search for solutions in providing housing for persons of moderate and low-income groups is not new. It is a global dilemma for many nations. The rapid urban growth in Florida, and particularly in cities and their residential communities that are subject to an accelerated redevelopment (gentrification), is just worsening an existing housing situation that has been festering for the past thirty years. The problem is further aggravated by the mass immigration from colder climates (local and foreign) into the warmer " Sunshine State". Another issue is - r 1 Submitted Into the public record in connectiokwith item 12. 2. on I ` - 91 Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk the large migration of the intelligentsia of Latin America escaping from the left leaning regimes and their rhetoric of Anti -US. In the main, however, it is the processes of globalization and urbanization that are transforming the affordable housing problem into a major environmental, physical, social and economic dilemma of third -world proportions. Research has shown that both Miami Dade and Broward counties have a combined need to provide approximately Twenty -Five -Thousand (25,000) affordable dwelling units per annum. However, these figures were not defined so as to tell whether the need was for new dwellings, or a combination that would include replacing dilapidated housing as well. Even without taking into account the immigration issues we are in a housing crisis right now. Are we going to be able to produce the required number of units? Is there the political and financial will to do it? Do we have an action plan to carry it out? And I mean action not rhetoric. In any case, when it comes to figures and statistics we should be diligent and ensure that the data from the communities is accurate. In another article appearing in the Sun Sentinel of January 24th 2006 it has been reported the Broward County alone has a current shortage of 90,000 affordable dwelling units. From experience it is known that basically the affordable housing crisis is only a part of the vast housing market financial mechanism we have been using to finance our growth. While market forces are determining the supply of dwelling units, sometimes - overzealous builders construct the houses in the wrong locations and at a price that not many can afford. Jim Mehring in New York has this to say in his BusinessWeek article, "During the second half of 2005, the supply of new single-family houses available for sale has been growing at the fastest pace since the mid-1980s. The surge in supply has corresponded with a gradual slowdown in sales and, until December little adjustment in housing starts. What's more, the potential oversupply of new housing is most likely worse among multi -family buildings" What Jim is not taking into account is that the supply of housing at the wrong location and at an un-affordable price is a major part of the problem. It is not only a misplaced notion of location analysis and a lack of adequate financial resources for providing affordable housing that causes the problem, but also our lack of foresight in appropriate urban planning and design. In our free enterprise, market driven society, income is a function of productivity. Inevitably the wages of the mid -level professionals and unskilled are too low to afford the cost of socially acceptable dwellings. In such circumstances either the teachers, police personnel, firefighters, municipal -employees, nurses, young college graduated just entering the labor force and lower income groups must live in sub -standard housing conditions close to their jobs, or in better accommodations that are miles away from their place of employment. When municipal employees and other blue color workers reside far a way from their place of employment they must spend a large portion of their disposable Submitted Into the public in con ecrpwf'h 2 item 2. 2 on 1 `"1- 07 Priscilla A. Thompson City Clerk. income on transportation which reduces their standard of living, quality of life and most of all waste time and energy. The concepts of "Workforce Housing" and "Inclusionary Zoning" are new terms being used so as not to alarm people's perception that living next to affordable housing may bring their house values down. In this region of Florida or anywhere else in the USA we should plan and design our cities for all citizens without creating special zones of either inclusion or exclusion. If the planning and design of the dwelling units complexes are aesthetically attractive and well executed it can only contribute to the surroundings properties value without any attached stigma. The Housing Act of 1949 contained a straightforward declaration of National Housing Policy, which said, in part: " We should pursue the realization as soon as feasible of the goal of a decent home and suitable living environment for every American family, thus contributing to the development and redevelopment of communities and to the advancement of growth, wealth, and security of the nation" This policy goal, which is still being followed, is far from being achieved or even being actualized. However, I think that we should reconsider it if the US values of an advanced democratic society are to be respected and emulated by the global community. In this age of globalization and instant communication, American policy of fostering democracy globally is one thing, in telling the nations of the world what to follow; it is another issue to ask them to follow our example. A few days after hurricane Wilma hit us I drove around the Gold Coast (Palm Beach, Broward, Miami -Dade and Monroe Counties) viewing the aftermaths of the hurricane's destructive power. The region was exposed, many trees were blown down, roofs and other poorly constructed building elements were damaged or scattered all over the place. Many streets were impassable and power poles and wires were strewn about. But what struck me more than anything was the many poor neighborhoods in our cities (also in the unincorporated areas of the counties), and the many vacant and abandoned housing estates. Why don't we either demolish those projects if they are structurally unsound or rehabilitate them? At present they only contribute to blight in the respective communities and we are loosing millions of dollars in property taxes. Could our elected officials please take notice of the neglect and potential of these dilapidated and abandoned housing projects? I know that there is a strong political will within the region's counties' administrations to address the issues of "Urban Planning" and "workforce Housing". Those two functions are intrinsically connected. Urban plans and their residential components must reside in the organization that implements them. If the organization is no longer well adapted to the current situation or appropriately informed, how then can the plans be relevant to existing conditions? We first have to factually define the problems in 3 Submitted Into the public record in connection with item 2Prisc2lla A. Thompson City Cleric each and every community and elaborate on alternative solutions that should be put forward for deliberation and action. Furthermore, the role of professional Urban Planning must be restored to its functional place. Plans must not only be made but also carried out. One wonders why a city like Hialeah when it was advertising for an Urban Planner was looking for an Architect to "act" as an Urban Planner. While we all know that Architecture is a noble profession, it is not Urban Planning. Not all architects are trained in urbanization, and many of our urban problems are a result of past architectural determinisms (it is purely physical) that exclude other relevant and extremely important elements (including diverse professional expertise) from the urban process of creating Integrated & Sustainable Comprehensive Master Plans. Urban development solutions that are only physical in nature were proven insufficient in solving the existing problems, let alone ameliorate the harsh social and economic conditions in our inner cities. Training in Urban Planning is obtained through a more advanced degree than architecture, one that combines knowledge of architecture with sociology, economics, finance, law and at times political science. A good Urban Planner who is basically a generalist must also be both a visionary and a pragmatist. A congenial physical environment does not by itself guarantee a satisfactory place in which to live. In fact, the quality of habitation often deteriorates where the social economic and cultural patterns are disrupted as a result of gentrification, despite the provision of higher quality dwelling units. Notwithstanding, that to be successful and satisfying, the urban environment should, have aesthetic appeal. The attractive design of residential buildings, high quality design standards of residential, public, institutional and corporate structures inculcate pride and civic awareness. But other environmental factors are equally important. Streets must be safe for pedestrians both by day and night; street lighting must be properly designed; sidewalks should be wide enough and well landscaped with shade trees; there must be ample opportunity for all age groups to form social circles; municipal and other facilities for recreation, shopping and employment must be easily accessible if not close at hand; and buildings should be spatially arranged with the awareness of the sociological implications of density, volumes and heights. The architectural quality of buildings for moderate and low-income persons poses particular problems. In the past it often has been monotonous, mediocre and uninspiring. This is the principal reason why so many housing projects have been vacated by the residents and eventually condemned. Every effort should be made in the city of Miami and elsewhere in our counties and cities to ensure that residential projects are as attractive as limited funds permit. Measures adopted towards this end should include quality design, suitable (determined by our climate) color schemes, careful grouping of buildings around public amenities — especially multi -family garden - apartment buildings, playgrounds and tree planting in parks, and general landscaping. Submitted Into the public record in connection with 4 item Z•2 on If-9-O7 Priscilla A. Thompson City Cleric Of equal importance to the quality of the affordable housing and its surroundings is the effect of the total environment on the inhabitants' access and behavior towards one another and their attitudes to the formation of neighborly relationships. A sense of responsibility to the community (a sense of place) results in socially acceptable behavior patterns that ensure a substantial reduction in conflicts, crime and violence and is a major step towards effective economic and social integration for economic upward mobility. It is essential to know as much as possible what are the basic requirements and preferences of both the existing and prospective inhabitants. It is also important to establish the means of gathering the requisite data so that forecasts of housing demands can be continually amended to contend with changing social and economic patterns. Not only do we have to improve our impoverished neighborhoods and replace them with decent housing, we must include the existing inhabitants, and their community organizations in the Urban Planning and development processes. There are five (5) basic tasks that should be undertaken to produce decision -relevant information as inputs to management and direction of governments. 1. Cost -benefit analysis 2. Cost-effectiveness analysis 3. Housing production function analysis 4. Intergovernmental relations analysis 5. Annual production analysis It is a given fact that planning and design of housing always involves social value judgments because these always have an impact on the social relations of the inhabitants. Therefore, as Urban Planners we should be aware of alternative social goals of affordable housing design: should it encourage frequent contacts and manifest neighborliness, or should we plan for maximum privacy? Do we strive for mixed housing ethnic integration through ethnically mixed dwelling units, or allow people live close to those who resemble themselves, as they usually prefer? The selection of social goals involves value judgments and it should be the prerogative of the intended inhabitants of the affordable housing to make these value judgments. Urban Planners are merely facilitators and managers performing a task on behalf of the people and their elected representatives. We must assist the political directorate in formulating a realistic Affordable Housing policy and then we must have a determined action plan to carry out the policy. In conclusion: There is a serious shortage of acceptable housing solutions which people can afford, despite the continuous stream of announcements seemingly to the contrary from the financial institutions and the Federal government. While we are being informed daily that the housing market is growing and housing starts are at all time high, it is not the type of housing that we require. This is only a statistical mirage. The countrywide strong housing starts actually amount to overbuilding in areas of high income and high property value, and under -building in most city centers and other areas where moderate fitted Into the public ��,..,.d in connection with 5 to D2 - Z on I - q- 07 Prisc1a A. Thompson and low-income houses are needed. The housing market as the real estate market in general, is of physical necessity a local market and is not transferable from place to place. Changes in zoning ordinances and/or increase in impact -fees may be helpful in the short term but it will not solve the crisis. Zoning is not planning and it should not be substituted for proper Urban Planning. The housing crisis cannot be solved by a single answer or a universal panacea. It is a problem that requires the combined and concerted efforts of many professions, many different disciplines and of joint public -private enterprise efforts. It requires, moreover, bold, assiduous and vigorous action by all the tiers of government, not only at the technical levels but also at all levels of policy formulation. Long-term solutions must obviously be based on economic growth at the State level, the provision of education and training facilities, and the raising of productivity and per capita income levels, so that most people can acquire or rent suitable dwelling units through the private sector of the economy. It was my late teacher and mentor Professor Charles Abrams who said in his seminal book Man's Search for Shelter in an Urbanizing World, The M.I.T. Press " The problem of housing is a problem of cities as well, and housing and cities must also deal with the implications of the urban land problem. Housing is not only shelter but part of the fabric of neighborhood life and of the whole social milieu; it also strongly impacts upon many facets of industrialization, economic activity, and development." No nation can develop maximum potential unless its citizens are free from the want and the degradation of slum life. Health, happiness, financial security, freedom from crime, and above all adequate homes, are fundamental ingredients of national peace and prosperity. In the face of the housing crisis, threatened by social and economic dislocation, people could demote rivalries and differences and hopefully close ranks to overcome a common challenge. Pray to God this will happen in Florida and also here in Miami. SUBMITTED INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD FOR TEMD2.ONj1 - 0L. 6