#RezoneSeattle

The New York Times had a great story over the weekend about the social, economic, and racial damage done by out of control zoning restrictions—particularly those designed to preserve "neighborhood character." Pay attention, Seattle:

Zoning restrictions have been around for decades but really took off during the 1960s, when the combination of inner-city race riots and “white flight” from cities led to heavily zoned suburbs. They have gotten more restrictive over time, contributing to a jump in home prices that has been a bonanza for anyone who bought early in places like Boulder, San Francisco and New York City. But for latecomers, the cost of renting an apartment or buying a home has become prohibitive.... And when zoning laws get out of hand, economists say, the damage to the American economy and society can be profound. Studies have shown that laws aimed at things like “maintaining neighborhood character” or limiting how many unrelated people can live together in the same house contribute to racial segregation and deeper class disparities. They also exacerbate inequality by restricting the housing supply in places where demand is greatest.... “You don’t want rules made entirely for people that have something, at the expense of people who don’t,” said Jason Furman, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

If you consider yourself a progressive but oppose rezoning large parts of the city of Seattle... you're a shitty progressive.

As homeowners claim they're under attack, maybe a good moment to stare at this map for a bit. Yellow = single family pic.twitter.com/7ZNT7Ij4eT — Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) June 21, 2016

See all that yellow? It's a big driver of income inequality, displacement, and homelessness around here. If you oppose rezoning this city to allow for greater density then you're part of the problem.