Organizing for America | david schon's Blog: Historic Preservation is the Greenest Affordable Housing

Historic Preservation is the Greenest Affordable Housing

By David from Washington, DC - Aug 12th, 2008 at 3:02 pm EDT

Also listed in: Historic Preservation for Obama

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Barak Obama's Blueprint for Change calls for promoting an increase in the supply of affordable housing. The current issue of In Focus at HousingPolicy.org has a good piece (linked below and copied after the more button) on how historic preservation is a green and efficient way to provide affordable housing. Only when the true costs of new construction and new development are considered do we really see the great advantages of historic preservation as a means to providing affordable and sustainable housing.

http://www.housingpolicy.org/in_focus.html

Photo Credit: John Booz, Courtesy of Valerie Denney Communications

In the Toolbox

This issue of In Focus features policies that promote the preservation of affordable rental homes – an approach that has grown in importance as production of new affordable units has slowed and hundreds of thousands of existing subsidized and unassisted units remain at risk of loss. Preservation of rental properties provides stability for the families that live in these homes and the neighborhoods in which they are located, and ensures the ongoing availability of affordable homes that would not likely be replaced through new construction.

In some cases, affordable rental homes may be located near public transit or job centers – areas that have become increasingly attractive as gas prices continue to climb. Preservation initiatives keep housing in these neighborhoods accessible to working families, helping to reduce their transportation costs and energy consumption.

Preservation projects may also involve upgrading or renovating outdated building systems to improve energy efficiency and achieve “green” certification [see Featured Gallery Entry]. These improvements can result in substantial reductions in energy use and associated costs. Finally, the preservation of existing buildings uses fewer raw materials and requires less energy than new construction. For these reasons, the preservation of affordable rental homes is one of Six Housing Policies for a World of High Energy Costs.

Learn More About the Preservation of Affordable Rental Homes

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