The BART system in the Bay Area has a lot of land around the stations to put apartment buildings there. A law authorizing Bart to approve its own projects within certain constraints was very controversial. The idea is to allow for mixed income developments that some would be 100% affordable or mixed income with market rate and below market rate mixed together. We want to make sure that the people of all incomes can live there.
The lack of affordable housing in the U.S. has contributed to a homelessness crisis and has forced people to move farther away from urban centers. Inevitably, that increases car travel and emissions. One solution is to increase density in areas where jobs and infrastructure exist to accommodate more people. But some aren’t comfortable with the idea of their neighborhoods growing, and building multi-story apartments in urban cores usually costs more per square foot than one or two-story houses where land is cheaper. So how do we address both the need for affordable housing and the climate crisis?
Guests:
Scott Wiener, California State Senator
Jennifer Hernandez, Partner, Holland & Knight
Ben Bartlett, Berkeley Vice Mayor
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
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