If we hope to survive on the best planet in the universe, we have to rethink housing.
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Everything we know about housing is being upended by climate change. Business as usual, or building housing as usual, is officially out the window now (even if people pretend otherwise). If we hope to survive on the best planet in the universe, we have to rethink housing.
Here’s what we’ll cover step-by-step:
Together, we can build communities that reflect the world we want to see, where home is not just a structure, but a feeling of shared purpose and resilience.
🎯 Action step 1 of 4: READ — Let's start by looking at a few articles together.
Conversations about housing justice can be really fact- and policy-heavy, but we firmly believe that we change the world when we truly see our place in it. Here are guiding questions to get your wheels turning.
💡 Prompt (self): The American Dream" pulls up a common vignette in many of our minds regardless of where in the world we live: white picket fences, 2 well-dressed kids in the backyard, a nice car, a wife with a knee-length dress that has her husband's dinner ready by 6 PM... and this dream is not working for most of us.
What IS the new version of the dream that the world should aspire to? What is the dream that works for you? Make this as vivid as you can, either journaling by yourself or bringing your friends into this conversation. If you come from an immigrant family, it could be cool (even if anxiety-inducing) to ask your parents and grandparents about their expectations vs. reality. What were their dreams? What are their new dreams, if any?
💡 Prompt 2: (others, systems) What role do neighbors and community networks play in housing justice? If you could redesign housing policy or urban spaces with connection in mind, what would that look like? This is best done in a group discussion!
💡 Prompt 3 (spirit): Sit with yourself/go on a walk in nature and really think about how current systems of housing, or definitions of HOME, have shaped your experience up till this point. What is your most expansive definition of home?
Take some time to connect with yourself, your spirit, with others, and with systems. The conversations you're having matter and the sacrifices that you're making for your community and your home matter.
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 1 of 4: READ.
🎯 Action step 2 of 4: LISTEN — we'll watch a short video or listen to a podcast to further expand on our topic.
Seattle (where our founder, Nivi lives) has AGAIN said, loud and clear, that they want social housing. What is social housing, you may ask. Despite all the chaos happening with wannabe dictators and tech bros with terrible bone structure, grassroots power is still alive and well. If you don't live in Seattle, they basically won a special election despite being outspent 2x by tech companies.
If you take away nothing else from this Action Pack, just remember this: What you do matters, even if it feels like it doesn't, especially when it feels like it doesn't. ✨They✨ want you to believe you have no power. It's not about the degrees of carbon dioxide, it's about protecting the places and the people we love!
So, what is social housing?
"Social housing is a new type of publicly-owned affordable housing that accommodates low- and middle-income renters."
What makes social housing different from affordable housing?
"The broad goal of social housing is to equitably alleviate that housing crunch by creating apartments and townhouses that aren’t subject to market speculation. Under the new developer’s model, units would be publicly owned and would remain affordable indefinitely. Other forms of affordable housing developed by nonprofits are often built with expiring federal tax credits and revert to market rates after a period of 15 to 30 years." Wow!
What makes social housing a climate solution?
Most obviously, the buildings themselves are held to "passive house" construction standards. "Passive house construction is also better adapted to climate disasters like wildfire, thanks to powerful air filtration systems that help keep embers outside. In one Los Angeles neighborhood that was recently razed by the Palisades Fire, the only house that remained standing was one built to passive house standards." Talk about a life-saving solution!
Additionally, adding more housing = higher density in urban areas = WAY LOWER CARBON EMISSIONS from transportation! Imagine how much CO2 you'd save if you could walk everywhere! Count me into that lifestyle!
Why should the rest of the world outside of Seattle care?
Social housing is a relatively new concept and every successful experiment matters. If you keep scrolling, you'll get to watch a bit more about how this has worked in Vienna!
Also, the way this played out in Seattle shows that grassroots power is alive and well, despite the opposition (aka wealthy tech companies who don't want to pay taxes and who spendt HALF A MILLION BUCKS in 20 days to shut down social housing). GOOD JOB, US!
Good things are happening in our fracked up world and it's up to us to expand the goodness by participating.
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 2 of 4: LISTEN.
🎯 Action step 3 of 4: ACT — Now it's time to do something. Let's go!
If you live somewhere like the USA that prioritizes cars over people 🙃, here are some things you can do:
1. Make your home climate resilient.
Change starts in your own backyard, or in this case, in your very own home. No matter where in the world you live you'll see an increase in heat waves, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and other extreme climate events in the next decade. (This sucks!!) It's time to start thinking of how to make your home climate resilient. Here's a guide from fire-prone Sonoma County in California, but we found it to be quite relevant for a range of geographies. Grist has some very cool future-forward ideas as always and this PDF shows you how to electrify everything in your home, even for renters!
2. Get your neighbors involved.
Many cities are working on their own climate resilience programs. See if there are any available near you, because sometimes they come with funding and tax incentives! (RIP United States, but our cities are still kickin.) You can also make a friendly sign for your yard/window to show that you're someone who wants to welcome more housing in your area. Here are some examples, and a file with PDFs is at the end of this Action Pack.
3. Create your own pro-housing stickers to put up in your neighborhood!
You may have heard that one of the best things you can do as a climate solution is to talk about it. Well, it's time to show people that we care about the planet and we care about each other! All you need is label paper (you can use name tags for this too) and laminate, which is basically a clear plastic sheet that keeps your sticker water-resistant. We made some at Soapbox Seattle and it was AWESOME! The PDF file at the end contains instructions and more examples.
4. Write to your local representative or city planner advocating for more affordable, equitable, and resilient housing/urban spaces.
Every city has SOMEONE whose job it is to plan the city, which includes planning where housing can be built, how much, what types, etc. Their info is really easy to find! Reach out to them and ask them: Hey! I'm [your name]]. I love living in [city] and I am hoping to learn more about advocating for affordable and climate-resilient housing, so I can continue to live in [city]. What are my options?
5. KNOW. YOUR. NEIGHBORS!!
This is an eternal climate action! When you have less community around you, you are at greater risk for displacement (especially if you have less resources/are from a community of color). Know your neighbors! You don't even have to like them! Whether you're fighting for a compost in your apartment building, the right to put solar panels on your house that's controlled by a HomeOwners Association, or making policy changes, knowing your neighbors helps so much. Also, you're more likely to survive in a climate emergency. We care about you so much, so please say hi to a neighbor this week!
As promised, here's the PDF with the window/yard sign and sticker activity: Housing ACT.pdf
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 3 of 4: ACT.
Before we go any further, it's time for you to pledge your commitment. It takes less than 30 seconds to pledge and we can bother you about it in a friendly way, so we can hold each other accountable. Pledge here!
🎯 Action step 4 of 4: REFLECT — what can you commit to? What fresh perspectives can we look at?
In our warming and population-growing world, building denser, equitable, just cities is non-negotiable. However, it's not as easy as saying "okay build more housing!"
Talking/thinking/acting on housing can be really personal and emotional, so we encourage you to commit some time to reflect. Bonus if you bring these questions/activities to your next friend hangout!
Invitation 1: Do your own mini "colors of home" activity.
Find color options: paints, markers, crayons, etc. and also get a piece of paper for your activity. Picture some of your earliest memories of home, or one of your homes. As you sit in this space, what do you notice around you? Locate something in your home that has a distinctive color that you like. How do you feel in this space? Do you associate this feeling with any particular color?
You are invited to meander along with colors. This can look like a swatch (e.g. distinctive color object on the top, feeling on the bottom), a specific scene, or anything you want.
You can also reflect similarly on:
This activity was invented by our February resident artist Anne Livingston. Follow her!
Invitation 2: Reflect on the following questions, preferably with others you can be vulnerable with:
If you want some bonus content to peek into what a few of our reflections were from our Soapbox Seattle dinner on housing justice, we’ve transcribed some below.
(1) Concept of "Home": When I think of "home," I pause, and struggle to articulate it, or fully define it. But when I sit with that pause, I realize home for me is a feeling, not really a specific place. It's a feeling of belonging and existing as myself, and of feeling like the space or moment I'm in or people I'm with are what makes life so lovely. I feel home with my friends, reminiscing on memories with my family, with the sunlight streaming through my window on a Sunday morning. I feel it in the trees of the Cascades, and the air when I walk out of SeaTac after being away. I feel it in other countries and by myself singing my favorite songs. And I don't know if not feeling connected to a place as home is ok, or if I even want that. Maybe it feels too out of reach."
(2) Untitled
I enjoy tapping into the wild side
The entire earth is my home
The starry sky like the ceiling that
comforts me at night.
The wind like a caressing connection
to the home we all share.
I want to see my community outside
or at least to help other communities to
get outside
To get wild.
But I get having a house and all its
amenities,
It's something I should build for
my future family
But it doesn't feel like I
am building it for myself.
(3) Expectations/stressors?
Paying rent. Most of my life revolves around this. I feel like I can't catch up.
Housing justice about creating spaces where we truly belong, where connection thrives, and where everyone can feel safe and supported, no matter the circumstances.
🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 4 of 4: REFLECT.
Check out our membership community for more resources like free weekly events with social justice experts, sustainable product discounts, pre-written email templates, a social impact job board, and in-person hangouts with new friends. Thanks for taking action with Soapbox Project!
Get our free bite-sized climate action plans before you go!