Downtown Seattle, South Lake Union, Interstate 5, and Capitol Hill at night (Wikimedia Commons Photo/Dllu)

By Zoe Ludwig, Built Green Intern | This is part one in a three-part series.

Back in the day, the West Coast was expansive, idyllic—the land of the American Dream. The privileged few would leave everything they had, come to large open pastures, and build homes for their families for generations to come. But even then, we struggled with zoning, it just had a different name. A history of discriminatory practices negatively impacted marginalized communities for centuries. Believe it or not, it existed here at home: think along the lines of Native Americans pushed out of their homes or non-white communities exiled to less favorable parts. Of course, nowadays, building in the west looks a lot different, as does the American Dream. Every beam laid is permitted; every building has its place; and, ideally, nothing is built out of place. The notion of zoning, however, while transformed, has stuck around.

Los Angeles was the first to adopt a policy of exclusionary zoning in 1908, but it wasn’t until 1922 that the Federal Government passed the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act. This act granted states the power to zone cities however they deemed fit and officially legalized exclusionary zoning. While there are many forms of exclusionary zoning, put most simply it prohibits development of anything besides single-family homes on large lots in specific geographical strata (neighborhood, town, city, etc.).

The issue with exclusionary zoning is in the name—it’s exclusive. Exclusive housing laws push lower-income families out of neighborhoods, limiting access to schools, trails, parks, and even grocery stores. Public education nationwide depends on property tax to fund neighborhood schools. Bigger homes = higher property taxes = better schools. The same goes for many other ‘luxury’ community amenities like public parks and trails. Maintenance and improvement projects are paid for by taxpayers and, again, those who pay more taxes see greater benefit. (Thankfully, Seattle recognizes the importance of green space and works hard to put good parks in all of its neighborhoods though there is still room for improvement.)

The other issue with exclusionary zoning is that it decreases affordability. If only 50 percent of the city is available to those who can’t afford to buy, then the demand for housing outweighs the supply of housing, and those who can’t afford rent or a mortgage get forced out. Decreasing affordability and increasing disparities have documented impacts:

• The property-tax/education paradigm manifests itself in test scores. One author, looking at "low-scoring" schools and "high-scoring schools, found that homes in the "high-scoring" regions cost, on average, $11,000 more a year than homes in the "low-scoring" regions. This is not only unfair to kids in the low-earning, low-scoring districts, but it is unfair to the rest of the community, which loses the incredible potential from many students who aren’t granted the same resources.
• Another study found that just a $100 increase in median rent causes a 15 percent increase in homelessness for adults already living in poverty. With the lack of affordable rent options here in Seattle, this statistic is yet another reason to examine our current zoning and its impacts.

While it is possible to prove with significance the economic disparity caused by zoning, studies on race are not as straightforward. Bruce Harrell, the only black Seattle City Council Member, put it eloquently when he said, “housing policies are largely governed by socioeconomic patterns. Yes, we can agree there’s a huge overlap between poverty and communities of color. But to suggest that… there’s a conscious attempt to exclude in terms of zoning decisions based on race—that almost distracts from the issue.”  It is still important to note, however, that while race might not alone dictate housing disparity, the overlap of poverty and communities of color, combined with various systematic failures and the continuing ramification of past housing injustices, create an undeniably unsustainable system in which the rich and the white frequently end up on top. If we focus zoning reform on creating affordable living options for all, we will make progress in addressing disparities and affordability.

Interested in this complex topic? At this year’s Built Green Conference, we are hosting a panel called From Exclusionary to Inclusionary: How Can We Make Our Region Inclusive, Resilient, and Vibrant? featuring Alan Durning of Sightline Institute, candidates for Seattle public office, and experts on environmental justice and community participation. Register for the conference today—ticket prices increase September 1!

By Chris van Daalen, Anna Robinson, and Leah Missik

Since Built Green’s inception almost twenty years ago, the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild and its members have been collaborating with the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties to transform the built environment toward long-term sustainability and that partnership is only improving with time. From the first 5-star Built Green certified home in Seattle (built by Guild founding member Jon Alexander) to ongoing work on the Code Innovations Database, the Guild and Built Green have a long history of successful collaboration.

Eric and his wife, Alex, in front of their net zero energy Built Green home.

On April 29–30, the Guild will host the Northwest Green Home Tour for the seventh time, which will feature many Built Green homes in Seattle and the surrounding area. Eric Thomas, the Membership Programs Manager at the MBA, Built Green homeowner, former Built Green Executive Committee member, and former Tour organizer, cherishes the Tour and its impact. According to Eric, “the Northwest Green Home Tour is a chance for the local green building community—from builders to architects to homeowners—to come together for one weekend to give their Seattle-area neighbors an up-close look at our region’s healthiest, most efficient homes. In my experience, nearly everyone taking the tour or showing a home on it comes away inspired by the beauty and innovation on display. Being involved with the tour as a tour-goer, a volunteer, a homeowner, and eventually an organizer, has been a transformative experience for me.”

This month, the Guild and the MBA/Built Green are teaming up to train builders and other professionals on how to effectively combine energy efficiency with indoor air quality at the Healthy Home Training for Building Professionals course from February 16–April 6, 2017. Instructors are national and regional field experts and the course material will give participants a better understanding of building science and indoor air quality benefits to best meet customers’ needs. The collaboration between the Guild and the MBA/Built Green not only enables this important class, but helps it reach a broader audience.

The Clearwater Commons Community, which is a featured case study in the Code Innovations Database.

In addition to collaboration on tours and trainings, the Guild and Built Green have worked together to document precedent-setting breakthroughs in the green building realm. An example is “zHome First Rainwater Harvesting for Indoor Use in Issaquah,” a case study in the Code Innovations Database written by Leah Missik and Chris van Daalen, that describes one of Built Green’s demonstration projects, zHome, in the Issaquah Highlands. Other groundbreaking Built Green projects in the Database include Positive Impact Development at Clearwater Commons, the Solar-Powered Grow Community and the Dwell Emerald Star Home in Ballard. Database authors are now expanding this effort to document green advances: in addition to describing successful projects, they will also document policy profiles and incentives adopted in some communities that should be adapted and implemented broadly. As experts in the field of green building, both Built Green and the Guild feel a responsibility to share proven practices and policies to a broader audience. As local governments adopt these and similar policies and increase incentives for builders, there are more opportunities for those in the green building sector to partner on projects with far-reaching benefits. Many of these projects would not have been possible without the policies such as Priority Green, which Built Green helped to establish.

Chris has seen the impact these incentives can have on the growth of green building. “In 2009, Guild President and Built Green Executive Committee member Ben Kaufmann of Greenworks Realty was the first to publish data showing the competitive advantages of Built Green certified homes. Since then, the program has grown from a thin slice of the market, to 2016 which saw 58% of new single-family homes in Seattle be Built Green certified. This phenomenal success is in part due to successful incentives in Seattle that other cities can learn from to transform markets around the region. I’m excited to work with Leah to share these policy innovations as we advocate for our industry and expand our impact!”

Another example of important policy adoption is the City of Shoreline’s adaptation of the City of Seattle’s “Living Building Pilot Ordinance,” which was first adopted in 2009. This ordinance has been built upon by the City of Shoreline to establish a Deep Green Incentive Program (DGIP) ordinance, which will be considered by the City Council on March 27. “This is a tremendous opportunity for us to make progress toward our carbon reductions goals by reducing our footprint in the built environment,” Miranda Redinger, Senior Planner for City of Shoreline, explains. “We’ve done a lot of work in the transportation sector through light rail station planning, but if the areas that redevelop do not use green building, we will have lost our chance.” Shoreline’s proposal expands on Seattle’s precedent to include incentives for Built Green 5-Star and Emerald Star projects. Leah and Chris will publish a policy profile on the Shoreline DGIP as soon as the Council approves it, so it can serve as fodder for other cities that are considering similar actions. Another great incentive example is the Housing Design Demonstration Program on Bainbridge Island that rewards amazing projects like the Grow Community with additional density and code departures in exchange for high-performance building.

Kudos to leaders in both groups that have leveraged their unique qualities to harness the power of partnership! With Built Green and the Guild’s history of collaboration, and the strength of the regional market for sustainable homes and buildings, the future is looking really green!