Ten years ago, affordable housing in Dallas was viewed as a secondary issue, often lumped together with homelessness and public housing.
At that time, Dallas was still relatively affordable, with one-bedroom luxury apartments in Uptown costing under $1,000 and modest homes in the East Dallas neighborhood of Lochwood available for just over $280,000.
Fast forward to today, and the housing landscape has dramatically transformed.
A one-bedroom apartment in Uptown now commands a cost of approximately $1,500, while homes in Lochwood have skyrocketed to prices often exceeding $500,000.
This rapid escalation in housing costs is alarming and has far-reaching consequences.
Many employees find themselves unable to afford homes near their workplaces, necessitating long commutes to outlying suburbs.
These extended journeys not only strain our infrastructure but also contribute to worsening traffic and air quality.
Even with the burden of commuting, a significant number of working individuals—those earning less than $71,000—are categorized as housing-cost burdened, struggling to make ends meet despite their full-time employment.
This includes rookie police officers, teachers, and a variety of essential workers in Dallas.
The issue of affordable housing has evolved into a challenge that extends beyond low-income households, now impacting the middle-class demographic as well.
This situation has developed because we did not take action sooner.
If we fail to adopt bold and comprehensive solutions, the crisis will continue to escalate.
Projections indicate that by 2032, only 21% of available apartments will be affordable for the typical Dallas worker, and less than 2% of homes will be within reach for families earning the median income.
In light of the urgency, advocacy groups, policymakers, and practitioners are advocating for innovative strategies revolving around urbanism principles.
The recent Texas legislative session was marked as one of the most supportive of housing initiatives in years, with laws being passed that prioritize increasing density and eliminating bureaucratic obstacles in the development process.
In Dallas, the City Council has enacted the Forward Dallas plan, initiated parking reform, and revised building codes.
Presently, the city is in the process of overhauling its development code.
While these policy advancements should be celebrated and are likely to boost housing supply, substantial questions remain about their depth and the timeline for tangible results.
Currently, responses appear reactive, and there is a tendency to quickly embrace the most popular ideas without thorough evaluation, allowing stakeholders to feel accomplished with minor progress.
My concern is that reliance on traditional supply and demand dynamics could lead to superficial solutions for our ongoing housing crisis.
Although increased housing production has the potential to create affordability, we need to ensure that this affordability specifically targets our most vulnerable populations.
Dallas is not known for its density.
Urban planners sometimes describe Dallas as a sprawling suburban city.
For context, Philadelphia has a population density of 11,771 residents per square mile, whereas Dallas’ density is just under 4,000 residents per square mile, despite having only 300,000 fewer inhabitants.
The urban sprawl that began in Dallas after World War II has largely defined the city’s layout, created by the emergence of the automobile, highways, and policies that encouraged outward expansion.
While this sprawl has maintained relative affordability compared to other major U.S. cities, the dynamics are changing.
With population and job growth, demand for housing is rising, and land in desirable areas is becoming increasingly scarce.
Urban planner Nikia Summerlin emphasizes the necessity for Dallas to adapt to the maturation of Southern cities, which involves abandoning the convenience of urban sprawl in favor of density.
It is essential for the city to redefine its perception of density, determining where it can be embraced to benefit everyone without harming existing neighborhoods.
Urbanism serves as a contrast to urban sprawl.
Instead of expanding outwards, urbanism prioritizes upward growth.
Key principles of urbanism include walkable neighborhoods, transit-oriented developments, and mixed-use spaces, with density being a fundamental aspect as it promotes the efficient use of land.
This approach recalls the neighborhood concept of the past where residents could easily walk to local stores in areas like South Dallas, Knox Henderson, or Oak Cliff.
While this vision seems acceptable, urbanism’s principles often fall short in practice, primarily serving those who can afford to live in premium, walkable neighborhoods.
Areas like Knox Henderson and Bishop Arts have developed into vibrant communities thanks to urbanism principles, but they tend to exclude lower-income families and small businesses.
More critically, simply increasing density does not guarantee affordability; the market needs incentives to prioritize public good over profit.
Before we fully endorse urbanism as the solution to our affordable housing crisis, we must critically assess whether these principles align with our goals.
We require a more intentional focus on providing access to affordable housing for low- to moderate-income individuals.
For example, while parking reform is beneficial because it reduces development costs and optimizes land use, tying incentives for reduced parking requirements to mandates for income-targeted housing units could maximize its impact.
Similarly, while updating our development code is a positive step, we must also evaluate the feasibility of enforcing mandatory inclusionary zoning in certain neighborhoods.
As an advocate for affordable housing development, I support increased construction, but we must also prioritize the preservation of existing affordable housing to manage demand.
Urbanism alone cannot resolve our housing challenges; however, by adopting its key principles and adapting them to suit the unique context of Dallas, we may just find a viable path forward.
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