Housing Integration Proposal #3: Step up planning efforts to better deliver family housing across all affordability levels
Return to 2019 Chicago Housing Agenda
Both the current and previous Five-Year Housing Plans of the City of Chicago acknowledge something unfortunately known by far too few: new units being constructed are predominantly studio and one-bedroom units while he city has lost 20,000 two and three-bedroom units between 2010 and 2016 (Chicago’s Five Year Housing Plan: One Chicago, 2019-2023; Chicago Five Year Housing Plan: Bouncing Back, 2014-2018)
Though the Five Year Plans acknowledge the problem, they do little from the standpoint of planning to address it, taking a more passive strategy of effectively relying on the market to correct itself. If housing of adequate size needed by families (two-bedrooms and larger) isn’t getting built in Chicago, it’s because the city is allowing the market to be dominated by the construction of housing targeting young professionals looking for studio and one-bedroom apartments.
Not producing sufficient family housing is counter the Fair Housing Act and should be stopped. Furthermore, when projects covered under the Affordable Requirement Ordinance disproportionately deliver smaller-bedroom units, they fail to match the true needs of families. 68% of families below the poverty line in Chicago have 3 or more people in their family (2017 American Community Survey, US Census)
Proposal 1. Revamp the Housing Plans to clearly identify the existing family housing stock (two, three and four-bedroom apartments) and to set specific targets for family housing. This should be done at the community area and city level.
Proposal 2. Ensure that each year’s city project approvals be consistent with the housing plan. If a the plan calls for 200 studio and 1BR apartments over 5 years in a community area and 400 units of 2BR and larger, this should be a direct consideration in whether a project proceeds or not. Projects consisted with Chicago’s housing needs should and would be prioritized.
