Proper zoning, land approvals, expedited processing, fee concessions, and subsidies are needed to increase the certainty and affordability of projects. Affordable housing developers and environmentalists desire to build sustainable communities that are economically viable, have a high quality of life, and preserve open countryside on the periphery. In rural areas, building quality affordable housing in existing communities near farms, resorts, and other job centers will preserve the economic base of these communities, while preserving rural land, values, and ways of life. Environmentalists and affordable housing developers and advocates should work together to advocate for reduction and clean-up of environmental hazards threatening residents and neighborhoods, and for decent, healthful, affordable housing for farmworkers. Finally, environmentalists and affordable housing developers and advocates must join together in a commitment to social equity, and work for the inclusion of lower-income families in new and existing communities.
Affordable housing promotes economic integration.
Environmentalists can be valuable partners in efforts to achieve community acceptance, local regulations, funding, and political support for affordable housing that builds a just society and contributes to environmental protection. Likewise, affordable housing providers can be valuable partners in supporting new parks, natural resource protection, agricultural land preservation, public transit, and other environmental and community assets.