Why building more homes won't solve affordability crisis

+ how neurotoxins from fires and floods damage human health US Edition - Today's top story: Why building more homes won't solve the affordable housing problem for the millions of people who need it most [View in browser]( US Edition | 12 November 2021 [The Conversation]( Even before the pandemic, there wasn’t enough affordable housing for those who needed it. A spike in unemployment early in the pandemic, soaring real estate prices and a rise in evictions have made the problem a whole lot worse – particularly for those living on very low incomes. One of the top solutions voiced by states like California and many others is to build more affordable housing. While increasing supply is important, it only deals with part of the problem, write urban policy and planning scholars Alex Schwartz and Kirk McClure. Nearly 10 million people spend at least half of their incomes on rent – well beyond the standard 30% affordability threshold. [Helping these renters requires a different solution](, the scholars explain. Also today: - [Why calling nurses heroes is harmful]( - [Trump appointees weren’t the first to run afoul of the Hatch Act]( - [Behind hip hop’s love-hate relationship with education]( Bryan Keogh Senior Editor, Economy + Business The pandemic has made the affordable housing crisis a lot worse, in part by increasing the rate of evictions. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson [Why building more homes won’t solve the affordable housing problem for the millions of people who need it most]( Alex Schwartz, The New School; Kirk McClure, University of Kansas California and other states plan to build more homes in an effort to fix America’s affordable housing problem. But that’s not the main reason housing remains unaffordable for millions of people. 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The Conversation Quiz 🧠- How many songs did Paul McCartney reveal the origin of in his new book? - A) 74 - B) 154 - C) 177 - D) 213 [Click here for the answer.]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](