She and the other advocates spoke at a press conference at The Oaks, an attractive affordable housing development in Walnut Creek. It is critical for citizens to understand the connection between the lack of affordable housing and the gridlock we all face, the advocates said. Unless more affordable housing is built near jobs and near transit, the traffic and sprawl crisis cannot be alleviated. We have to put the right housing in the right place. In the Bay Area, a minimum wage worker would need to work 106 hours per week to afford the average two-bedroom apartment.
Affordable housing is a critical environmental issue.
Precious farmland and open space is being paved over as people desperate for housing are forced to move farther and farther out just to put a roof over their family's heads. Our air and water quality is being destroyed by pollution created by cars idling in gridlock over longer and longer commutes. The solution lies in the hands of local governments and the citizens who elect them. For more strategies, please read Blueprint 2000 for Bay Area Housing. The Bay Area Transportation and Land Use Coalition comprises more than 60 organizations.