As the housing crisis continues to affect communities throughout the United States, New England is at a crucial juncture. The region is experiencing rising costs, sluggish production rates, and a pressing demand for affordable housing. This instability jeopardizes families, limits local economies, and makes it more challenging for young people to start families and for seniors to age with dignity in our communities. To address these challenges effectively, collaboration among states is vital. Achieving success in housing production necessitates a regional, cross-border approach that unites the region's extensive resources, ideas, innovators, and strategies to enhance housing outcomes for everyone.
According to a slate of recent state reports, New England needs nearly 600,000 new units of housing by 2035 to meet current demands and begin to stabilize our regions housing market. In most states, this represents nearly a doubling of the current pace of housing permits and harkens back to the post-war building boom of the 1950s and the boom of the 1980s. It won't be easy, but we've done it before and we can do it again, if we're ready to work together.
Shared Resources and Expertise
Collectively, New England is home to innovators and doers across dozens of key industries that touch housing. From insurance to lumber, finance and technology, New England's vast resources and minds pooled together could create a housing innovation and production engine that could become a model for the rest of the Nation. Rethinking manufacturing, land use policy and building codes, finance and insurance that currently too often serve as barriers to needed new housing production.
Supporting Our Connected Economies
Many employees live in one state but work in another. Cross-state collaboration can ensure that housing is developed in regions that match commuting patterns. In New England, housing markets are interconnected. Coordinated policies can prevent the adverse impacts of inadequate housing production in one state on its neighboring states.
Longterm Success of Modular Production
As certain states increasingly adopt modular housing production to meet their housing needs, maintaining a steady supply of units is crucial for the long-term success of these facilities. By incorporating greater consistency in zoning and building code reforms within regional housing strategies, we can enhance support for modular production. Cross-border collaboration and coordination could enable the continued success of the region's growing modular housing production community.
Innovative Solutions
With programs like Vermont's Homes For All Toolkit and Massachusetts MBTA Communities legislation, innovative policy reforms and programs can be shared more easily cross border and success metrics tracked more closely, with pilot programs possibly expanding across numerous New England States. With broader and more direct regionwide collaboration, we can each figure out what's working and what's not working and better adapt to changes on the ground experienced by one member of the group.
Collective Advocacy In Washington
As the new legislative session kicks off amidst the chaos in Washington, it's essential to set clear policy priorities that can gain the backing of a diverse group of bipartisan representatives and senators on Capitol Hill. Our region's Senators represent 12% of the United States Senate. If they unite in supporting the same housing solutions in Washington, there is a higher chance of enacting new legislation that could benefit not only New England but the entire nation, as each state tackles its own housing issues.
591,000 homes may seem daunting, presenting an insurmountable challenge given the current landscape of anemic housing production starts. This situation is exacerbated by tough financial markets, a regulatory framework that often empowers NIMBY attitudes, and increasingly expensive construction costs. However, despite the magnitude of this challenge, we have no choice but to confront it head-on.
Geographically, our states may be small, but collectively, we represent a powerful force. By working collaboratively, we can respond to these seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Together, we can transform New England into a region characterized by housing abundance, one capable of providing accessible housing options to meet the needs of it's residents at all phases of life. Let us embrace this challenge together and strive for a future where every individual in New England has access to a home they can call their own.
Jonathan Berk is an urbanist, placemaker, housing advocate and founder of reMAIN, a platform committed to promoting the development of missing middle housing in pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. This platform facilitates the creation of infill housing by linking strategic development sites with local developers and a variety of funding sources, assisting communities in achieving their housing goals.
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