Why the Peninsula needs more homes for the holidays

Cozy mom-and-pop shops lining Burlingame Avenue and a giant amusement park on San Francisco’s Ocean Beach helped characterize the Bay Area’s good old days. Back then my family could still drive from the Peninsula to the City on Highway 101 to see my grandparents in only 20 minutes.

In the ’90s, the median price of a house in San Francisco was roughly $300,000. Young teachers could buy homes in the Bay Area — those old days sound pretty good to me!

Today, I’m privileged to call San Francisco home. Living near diverse food scenes, beautiful parks, natural beauty, and arts and culture is a privilege despite our housing shortage. More people wish to live here than there are homes available for residents. Teachers, artists and the dwindling middle class are being priced out. This is amplified by rules we created making it difficult to build more homes, particularly in desirable areas.

The housing crisis has worsened traffic. It’s counterintuitive that additional housing reduces traffic but, with certain configurations, adding homes does get more cars off the road, decrease congestion and shorten commutes. A UCLA study found that residents in congested urban centers have better access to good jobs and economic opportunity, so rather than fighting congestion, we should build more housing in urban hubs.

It’s important that those who serve our neighborhoods (like police officers, firefighters, teachers and social workers) can live where they work. Providing housing near jobs is the best way to strengthen our communities and workforce, fix staffing shortages, empower folks to rely less on social systems and make cities cleaner, safer and a little healthier.

Many people have died from unhealthy air. Fire seasons have been exacerbated by climate change. Adding dense housing will tackle these, helping save lives, because they’re better for the environment. A University of Texas study found high-density housing produces roughly four times less greenhouse gas emissions than less dense housing. As state Sen. Scott Wiener said, housing policy is climate policy. Building more homes will make the future better.

Parents everywhere sacrifice much for their children’s futures, and the Bay Area is no exception — they must not lose sight of the ensuing world they will inhabit. Homeowners should prioritize their children being able to live nearby when they grow up over their current home values increasing. All cities should allow duplexes and fourplexes in single-family neighborhoods because new housing takes many forms, not just skyscrapers and single-family homes. Though density and change are not easy, Americans should not fear them. Picture a compact, walkable, European city — this is what a future of abundant housing can look like. This is a happier, brighter future.

Because I love living in San Francisco and believe the Peninsula a great place to grow up, I want others to be able to enjoy it as I do. Unfortunately, that’s difficult for current Bay Area residents to do. The first step in solving a problem is recognizing there is one. Building more housing will make the Bay Area cleaner, safer, healthier and better for all — so in 2023, it’s time to build.

Lizzie Siegle grew up in Hillsborough and now resides in San Francisco’s Nob Hill. By day, she works for Twilio as a developer evangelist and by night, volunteers with YIMBY for a lively, livable, affordable and sustainable Bay Area.