What Comes After the Single-Family Home in California?

Last Tuesday, The New York Times published a podcast episode of their news podcast, The Daily, entitled The Rise of the Single Family Home—a critical look at the California real estate market, and what lessons we have to teach the rest of the country about housing. At the crux of the story is, you guessed it: the role of the single family home in American society.

For many in the Bay Area and elsewhere, owning and living in a traditional home is central to our life goals, our lifestyle, our family stories. It’s the American dream!

At the same time, we also know that California faces a critical housing shortage. Per Conor Dougherty, an economics reporter at NYT, “Here, the median home price is about $800,000, which is about twice the cost of a house nationally.”

The result is an affordability crisis for many, with the threat of homelessness for some. About a quarter of all homeless people live in California, putting us on the frontlines for a broadening crisis.

Something’s got to give, but what? Give the show a listen to hear about both the history of homebuyers after World War II, as well as new ideas in zoning laws and building communities around people rather than cars.