Boston Housing: An Overview

by Florella Orowan

The housing crisis is a prominent issue in this election. Over the past few years, it has been mainly addressed by new construction consisting of multi-unit structures of 8-20 stories. The units in these buildings are typically studios and 1-3 bedrooms, with many buildings consisting of only studios or one-bedroom apartments. In general, this has been viewed as a viable solution to alleviate the high prices of rent and the presumed shortage of apartment rentals, although to date no hard data has been published on the actual availability of rental units in Boston.

But this type of housing is problematic, in part because it is not family friendly. There are often no outside spaces for children to play, there is no provision for overnight guests, nor is there ample storage space. Taken together, these limitations inhibit any possibility of neighborhood or extended family culture. In fact, these buildings are designed to accommodate primarily single people, students and transients.

In terms of rental costs, the buildings currently under construction and those been built in the past few years are mostly market rate rent and above, with a modest percentage of “affordable” units. However, owing to their hasty construction, use of lower-cost materials, lack of architectural beauty and less-than-desirable locations, they will likely deteriorate quickly and once the investors are paid, decline in desirability and become lower-income housing.

From a sociological perspective, low-income housing does not create the conditions of a safe environment. For single people, it can result in feelings of alienation and displacement, as we saw during the pandemic. For families, it can result in a lack of privacy and for young adults, it can lead to undesirable and even dangerous peer relationships. Similar types of structures were built during the mid-20^th century – often called “housing projects” and have over time developed many negative associations. The fact is that few people who grew up in a housing project during that era recall it as a positive experience.

Therefore, why are we re-creating a housing model that has widely over time been seen as an example of urban blight? Why use a type of housing that has verifiably led to broken families and youth crime? We need to find another solution. We need family-friendly housing.

One example may be the town house construction, where a unit may consist of two stories and usually abuts a number of other units of like construction. This model affords privacy for a couple or family and usually has some green space that children can use to play. Currently, real estate developers are not inclined to build this type of housing because it costs more and as such is less profitable for their investors. However, if we factor in the social costs of low-income housing, in the long term, the benefits are inestimable.

Another possibility is converting existing structures. So far, most such conversions have resulted in luxury condos but there are many as-yet unoccupied buildings in the downtown area that are former office buildings housing companies that either went out of business or moved during the pandemic. Other spaces are vacant because the company’s operations were downsized. Some of these spaces might be converted to residential units.

A third option is expansion of the urban landscape. In Massachusetts, this happened during the 1960s and 1970s with the growth of businesses and office parks lining Route 128. Perhaps a similar course should be considered for other areas in Eastern Massachusetts that might be viable for the expansion of housing and businesses.

And most of all, we must consider the effects of climate change, which will certainly affect Boston and its environs. Boston, as a physically small coastal city, will likely be more adversely impacted than other regions. If we are going to maintain a city that will be livable in the future, we must think very carefully about the choices we make.