urban policy

You may have read about the shipping containers converted to housing for unsheltered people in Downtown Atlanta. It's called The Melody and it's the product of a City of Atlanta initiative for finding land the city owns and potentially using it for housing.

The effort is supported by an analysis of city properties done by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).

We talk with Kyle Wedberg, Ph.D. Senior Manager, Research and Consulting at GFOA about that analysis, and with Joshua Humphries, Senior Housing Advisor to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

The great value of making better use of the city's land is clear. But can we also make sure the results are putting lower-income residnets in homes that are part of walkable, transit-served neighborhoods?

Links:

Can Atlanta’s foray into cargo container housing deliver 500 units for unhoused people?
https://atlantaciviccircle.org/2024/01/31/atlanta-to-make-500-affordable-housing-units-for-homeless/

New Uses of Public Assets Are Helping Atlanta Fill Its Affordable Housing Gap
 https://www.governing.com/housing/new-uses-of-public-assets-are-helping-atlanta-fill-its-affordable-housing-gap

This week, we’re exploring the rise of the single-family home and its many pitfalls, including the isolation brought on by large homes on expansive plots of land, exclusionary zoning that exacerbates social issues, and environmental factors like resource-intensive turf grass, massive energy usage for few people, and the necessity of cars. Luckily, however, new trends in housing are reshaping the way we live - from co-living spaces with shared utilities, resources, and perks to chic tiny homes to eco-conscious villages like Serenbe that encourage community, wellness, and biophilia. 

Our guest is Diana Lind, author of ‘Brave New Home', which investigates how the single-family home became synonymous with the American Dream before delving into the paradigm shifts making housing more accessible and environmentally aware. Diana is a writer and urban policy specialist whose writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Architectural Record and Next City, where she also served as Executive Director and Editor in Chief. Currently, she is the incoming Communications & Publications Director for the Penn Institute for Urban Research. 

Show Notes

• Brave New Home: Our Future in Smarter, Simpler, Happier Housing by Diana Lind
• About Diana Lind
• Against the White Picket Fence (New York Times)
• WATCH: Five Things Diana Lind taught us about housing (Philadelphia Citizen) 
• Ideas We Should Steal: Treat Homelessness as a Health Issue by Diana Lind (The Philadelphia Citizen)

Key Words: Urban Policy, Urban Planning, Housing, Housing Crisis, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Wellness, Health, Zoning Laws, Suburban, Suburbia, Tiny Home, Environment, Climate Change, Climate Policy