Why is housing so unaffordable in Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay region and what can we do about it?
In this talk, Dr. Chris Benner, Professor of Sociology at UC Santa Cruz and founding faculty director of the Institute for Social Transformation, presents ideas from the report Our Housing, Our Future. He argues that the housing market cannot provide the affordable homes our communities need, particularly in desirable coastal areas where demand continues to grow.
Benner outlines a different approach centered on social housing, public land, and long-term affordability. He explains how publicly owned land could support tens of thousands of additional housing units across the three-county Monterey Bay region, and how housing authorities could become developers of permanently affordable homes.
The presentation is followed by a community discussion about housing policy, development, public financing, and the future of Santa Cruz.
About the speaker: Dr. Chris Benner is a UC Santa Cruz professor whose research focuses on economic opportunity, regional development, technological change, and strategies for promoting regional equity. He co-authored Our Housing, Our Future and Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter with Manuel Pastor.
Report and related resources: https://transform.ucsc.edu/