Housing, Stadiums, and Priorities – Some Links, Studies, Research for Thought — Re: [TakomaDC] Fw: Metro Site

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I mentioned I’d share some links, so I took some time to dig a bit. Over the years, I’ve come across pieces that have shaped how I think about housing in DC—and I hope some of this can spark useful conversation, whether you agree or not.

We all know DC is facing an increasingly dire and unaffordable housing crisis. I believe the continued focus on building privatized Class A studios and one-bedrooms isn't the solution—it often drives costs up, not down. I’ve included some reports below that speak to that point.

What I do believe can help turn the tide is developing a robust Social Housing ecosystem.

Here’s two key reasons (among others) why:

  1. Social Housing is insulated from the volatility of federal investment cycles.

  2. It’s a self-sustaining, municipally owned model that can actually drive costs down by making construction and financing more efficient and the profits are reinvested back into the project.

But as to the links below, they aren’t meant to be the final word—but rather a place to start (or continue) a shared learning process. 

We all want to house families of all incomes, and that especially means prioritizing those who’ve been left behind in DC’s boom times over the last 15+ years. 

And, some folks including me want to ensure public land, like at Metro sites, don't perpetuate the same gentrification problems but seek to repair the displacement harms and racism of the past.  The status quo #BuildingAsUsual won't result in this objective unfortunately as the track record shows.

All of these important questions and concerns come at a time when we’re seeing some questionable priorities from city leadership.

For example, this week brought reports that the Mayor and the billionaire-owned Washington Football Team are in closed-door negotiations for a new $3-billion RFK stadium. This could leave taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of millions—possibly over a billion—for luxury play time, while housing costs remain sky-high. Link to story

Nearly simultaneously, the Mayor also announced “extraordinary measures” to cut government spending—freezing hiring, considering furloughs, and potential closures of public facilities. Link here

It's so strange to be discussing something so fundamentally important as shelter for humans and solutions therein when our government over the past two budget cycles has found tremendous priority, time, and DC money to fund billionaires' dream play spaces.

Nonetheless, here are a few links to chew on—hoping they help deepen the conversation:


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