There is a question haunting Seattle—the question of affordability. Throughout the city many people feel like things in Seattle—especially housing—are too expensive. But what is affordable and what isn’t? And if housing prices are too high for people with certain levels of income, what’s the best way to fix that? And what is the City […]
Next Thursday, February 13th the Seattle City Council will host a forum on “workforce housing.” Workforce housing is typically defined as housing that is “affordable” for people earning between 60 and 80 percent of Area Median Income, about $42,000 to $52,000 in household income for two people. The current normative standard for housing expenses (what […]
One of the biggest threats to social equity in Seattle is a shortage of housing. Because when demand for housing overwhelms supply and drives up prices, it is the poor who lose. And the essential solution is this: build more housing. Landlords and developers both do well in a seller’s market for housing. And the affluent are fine too, because they can […]