How to Create More Affordable Housing in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is grappling with legislation to change affordable housing requirements. A bill on the subject from Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez will not come to a vote because of opposition from some who worried a low-income housing requirement would end up lowering density in the city and having the perverse effect of making housing more expensive for many.

Inga Saffron argues, in a piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer, that though the bill may have failed before it got to a vote, it did the important work of getting the council focused on housing costs. Saffron offers her own suggestions for how to achieve that goal, including: revising the ten-year property tax abatement (which has helped fuel the housing boom in Philadelphia), eliminating parking minimums, and increasing the transfer tax to subsidize affordable housing.