5 Ways to make Housing in Big Cities Affordable

• Author: Kelly Cooke
• Posted: 2023-11-17

Affordable housing is a dream that most of us wish would become a reality. Major cities in the United States have had a housing crisis for several years now, and if something isn't done to help the situation urgently, it will only worsen.

People live in very unfortunate surroundings because they can't afford houses being offered in the big cities. Many people have even resorted to migrating to the small towns to make a living, and still to live in decent homes.

Some cities in the United States have put measures to help their residents and try to salvage the situation.

Some measures have worked so far, and some have been fruitless. So let's put all this into perspective and give a detailed recommendation on some of the best ways that can be used to make housing in major cities affordable again.
 

1. Offer tax breaks and incentives

State and federal authorities can come together and provide incentives for housing projects that are meant for low-income earners.

While many city governments might not have direct control of how these funds are allocated, they can make laws not to tax the private developers building houses for the homeless and the low-income earners.

This will be a great motivation for many developers who will set up more projects in motion to create affordable housing.

Through this, private developers won't need to put up projects to recover their millions of dollars spent in taxes to the state and federal governments. Rather, they'll build houses which are for the benefit of the people.
 

2. Relax rigid zoning and developing rules

If you've moved around some of the big cities in the United States, you've probably seen lands that are privately owned and have no structures on them. These lands are guided by the "not-in-my-backyard" mentality that has been killing the housing sector.

Zoning rules such as the height and density checks for buildings have also become a stalemate to navigate through. These rules have demoralized many developers who have better plans to provide affordable housing for low-income earners.

Many developers have had to employ lawyers to get these rules exempted for their structures. This takes a lot of time and resources and may end up not bearing fruits and the private developers being forced to abandon their projects.

With these outdated rules and regulations abolished, many developers will have the freedom to construct buildings to the size or height of their choice and provide more housing in the cities.
 

3. Engage big corporations and philanthropists

Big corporations such as Microsoft and Facebook have shown great interest in supporting affordable housing initiatives. Microsoft recently launched a $500 million initiative to set up affordable housing projects in major cities.

Townships and city governments should come together and engage with these big companies and philanthropists to help realize more affordable housing structures in their cities.

The city governments can also implement laws that will have these big companies and businesses taxed to benefit affordable housing. If more corporations and philanthropists come on board and support this cause, affordable housing will not be such a dream after all.
 

4. Start affordable housing trust funds

Most of these local governments have funds but, they don't have a proper channel to spend on things that matter, like affordable housing. Having every state and local government start an affordable housing trust fund will go a long way in achieving the ultimate goal.

Local authorities and government can use these trust funds to support the local income earners who want to start up housing projects.

Many people will be motivated to start their own projects because they have it in mind that their local government will support them when need be.
 

5. Revitalizing of the cities' neighborhoods

Revitalizing neighborhoods involves converting abandoned structures and lands to affordable housing units. Some of the cities have embarked on this initiative, and it has increased the available, affordable structures.

Various organizations can also team up to purchase or renovate available private pieces of land to construct affordable housing structures.

School buildings that are no longer in use can also be renovated and made into formal housing units for the-low income earners or the homeless population. This will help get many people off the streets and into better homes.
 

Conclusion

Providing affordable housing in big cities might not be an easy task, but it is an achievable goal with devotion and cooperation among the respective stakeholders.