Ramblings

The last few months have been a whirlwind of contradictions: heated debates over rate cuts, the emergence of 50-year mortgages, and a volatile economic mood.

The reality on the ground is stark. Housing is becoming a luxury. Development costs have spiked so high that projects are stalling at the starting line. Meanwhile, we are in a dangerous transition with our vacant buildings; as their assessed values crater, they are hollowing out the city’s tax base.

What should we do?

That isn’t a rhetorical question. It’s an urgent one. Here is the three-point plan to stop the bleed and start the rebuild.

1. Master Adaptive Reuse

We cannot afford to let vacant shells sit idle. We must develop hyper-niche expertise in converting old stock into modern utility. This requires a deep partnership with the city to streamline code requirements and provide the subsidies necessary to make "conversion math" work.

2. Activate City Land

The city is often its own worst enemy, sitting on underutilized parcels. We must aggressively identify and release city-owned land for redevelopment. Make it usable, make it available, and get it into the hands of those ready to build.

3. Reform Preservation Laws

Historic preservation is a value, but it shouldn't be a weapon. We must prohibit sweeping preservation claims that serve only to block density. If a building isn't truly iconic, it shouldn't stand in the way of the housing our citizens actually need.

The Friction Point

The most challenging element of this strategy is the political will to prioritize the future over the past. Adaptive reuse and dense zoning often run headlong into "NIMBY" resistance and sentimentalism. To move forward, we have to stop treating our city like a museum and start treating it like a living organism that needs to grow to survive. We are currently choosing decay in the name of "character"—and that is a trade-off we can no longer afford.