New Housing has to go somewhere

Blame Zoning, Not Tech, for San Francisco's Housing Crisis

Eugene is going to have to add to its housing supply in order to meet future demand. Envision Eugene, with its pilot project on South Willamette, proposes spreading the new development around-- ultimately, some growth along all the key transit corridors, instead of asking one neighborhood or area to accommodate everything.

But what happens when individual neighborhoods start throwing up roadblocks? This article looks at what happens when neighborhoods with more power say you can build new things in other places.

The housing crisis is both a regional and local problem. Looking at it two ways leads to two different conclusions about gentrification and displacement. From a regional perspective, any and every city in a metro area could be building more. Any and every new housing unit adds to the supply and lets out some pressure.

But from a neighborhood perspective, the view is different. Neighborhoods that build less than others are sometimes given a pass, because they are beautiful or historic or wealthy or powerful (and often all of these things). The lack of new construction in wealthier neighborhoods puts pressure on less wealthy neighborhoods. (“You can build new things in other places.”) This pressure builds up until it explodes in distressed neighborhoods.
— Kriston Capps, City Lab