Colorado’s affordable housing crisis has spread from the mountains to the Front Range

Colorado’s Housing Crisis and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

From the mountains to the prairies, Colorado’s housing crisis is squeezing state residents in ways that make drastic choices an all-too-common part of their cost-of-living calculus.

Colorado faces a shortfall of 100,000 homes and apartments, the second worst deficit of any state after California, according to a study last year from Up for Growth. A homebuyer misery index from the Common Sense Institute found households in the state’s largest counties facing record-high levels of stress.

The Sustainable Development Goals

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life Below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals

When The Denver Post put out a call for residents who wanted to talk about the burdens of their housing costs, dozens of people responded. Stories include those like that of Westminster resident Jodi Lovejoy, who despite being a therapist and middle-income earner, has decided to keep renting at age 56 and uncertain if she can retire in the community she has called home for so many years.

In Snowmass Village, property manager Matthew Owens was ready to move his young family out of state until he won a town housing lottery that allowed him to buy a subsidized condo for $650,000 instead of the market price of $4 million.

Extreme lack of affordability, long a problem in the mountains, has made its way into the Front Range, and so, too, have the solutions to address it.

Inclusionary Zoning as a Solution

• Requires developers to set aside a certain percentage of units as affordable
• Boosts the supply of affordable homes
• Used in places like Breckenridge and Aspen where affordable units represent upward of 70% of all year-round residences
• Local governments are building hundreds of units themselves

Following legislation that cleared away concerns about inclusionary requirements being a form of rent control, Denver undertook the state’s largest inclusionary zoning experiment yet with its Expanding Housing Affordability Ordinance that took effect in 2022. Its impacts on the market — for good or bad — have yet to be fully realized.

In Westminster and many parts of Colorado, the debate remains centered on issues of density, resource allocation, and whether the character of a community should change to accommodate young adults and lower-wage workers who are being priced out.

Denver Post Articles on Affordable Housing

1. Boulder’s affordable housing approach was once a trailblazer. Now, Denver is catching up.
2. When mountain towns couldn’t find affordable housing for workers, they started building homes themselves.
3. Westminster wants more affordable housing options, but tradition gets in the way

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SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
   • Indicator: Number of households facing record-high levels of stress due to housing costs.

2. SDG 1: No Poverty

   • Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance.
   • Indicator: Number of households facing housing cost burdens and unable to afford homeownership.

Analysis

The article highlights the housing crisis in Colorado, specifically the extreme lack of affordability and the shortfall of 100,000 homes and apartments in the state. These issues are connected to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets:

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

This SDG is directly addressed as the article discusses the housing crisis and its impact on residents in Colorado. The target under this SDG that can be identified is:

• Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.

The article mentions the record-high levels of stress faced by households in the state’s largest counties due to housing costs. This can be considered an indicator to measure progress towards Target 11.1.

SDG 1: No Poverty

This SDG is indirectly connected to the issues discussed in the article, as the lack of affordable housing can contribute to poverty and inequality. The target under this SDG that can be identified is:

• Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance.

The article mentions households facing housing cost burdens and being unable to afford homeownership. This can be considered an indicator to measure progress towards Target 1.4.

Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

Source: denverpost.com

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