San Francisco's Intractable Housing Dilemma

Blogger Shane Phillips writes that San Francisco has two possible responses to its housing crisis: increase supply to accommodate newcomers, or hunker down and promote only subsidized housing. Both, he says, are lousy. Other coastal cities, beware.

2 minute read

June 14, 2015, 11:10 AM PDT

By Josh Stephens @jrstephens310


San Francisco Skyline

V31S70 / Flickr

San Francisco's housing crisis is old news. The new news comes from the almost daily responses from policymakers and stakeholders about what to do with it. The latest is a proposed moratorium on development in the rapidly growing Mission District. This proposal gives blogger Shane Phillips pause, in part because of the economic ramifications of a housing free: "The region may have a lock on the tech sector, but startups for unaffiliated industries would generally be foolish to locate in the Bay Area. San Francisco is on its way to becoming a monolithic populace, not just socioeconomically but commercially as well."

With demand likely to abate around the time Greenland's glacier's refreeze, the city faces two outcomes:  

"In one, the supply-siders get their way and lots of new market-rate housing, and a decent share of affordable housing, is built in the Mission and across the city. In the other, the anti-development folks get their way and very little new housing is built in the coming years, with most new construction coming in the form of affordable housing constructed with city, state, and federal funds. The first outcome is extremely bad, the second is utterly disastrous."

This dilemma is important, according to Phillips, because of its ramifications for other attractive, geographically constrained cities.  

"San Francisco is a harbinger, but the fate it foreshadows is not an inevitable one, as Tokyo and other cities have demonstrated. Places like Los Angeles and Seattle are on the cusp, and Chicago and Philadelphia are moving in the same direction, but they're all still salvageable. Boston and Washington, D.C. are further along than even LA or Seattle, and they'll have to adopt a regional housing strategy to address housing supply in their regions. This will be considerably more challenging than a go-it-alone approach, but their small size necessitates partnerships with neighboring cities that share responsibility for the affordability and equity of their respective regions."

Monday, June 1, 2015 in Better Institutions

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Red and white "Wildfire Evacuation Route" sign on signpost.

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions

An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

July 10 - The Markup

Protester at Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles holding sign that says "Housing is a human right"

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?

The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

July 10 - Shelterforce Magazine

Aerial of rainbow painted crosswalks at large intersection in Castro District, Sna Francisco, California.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts

Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.

July 10 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Home and Land Services Coordinator

Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA