The House by definition
The housing crisis is a problem of definition…
By Brian Monroy Melosevich - 03.03.2024
By definition, “A house is a building for living in,” or at least that’s what some believe, as several definitions have emerged depending on our perspective, such as: “A house is a fixed asset and an excellent way to generate income and build wealth,” viewed from a real estate perspective, or in the case of a financial institution: “A house is collateral for obtaining a loan and serves to ensure the fulfillment of the payment obligation to the lender or financial institution.”
So when we see these kinds of things:
Sydney, NSW: Hundreds rally to fight housing crisis | news.com.au — Australia's leading news site
We Must End the Housing Crisis - Institute for Policy Studies (ips-dc.org)
Airbnb in Mexico City: The platform's impact on displacement and rising housing prices in Mexico City - BBC News Mundo
I think we can get an idea of which Concept/Definition is being affected, right?
And yes, it is a very complex problem because, to begin with, there are different definitions, interpretations, stakeholders, and interests. But I feel it would be advisable to have regulations that prioritize the right to housing over the "facilitation" of investment. And I'm not referring to taking away properties from those who own more than one, but rather to ensuring that, given issues like gentrification and the low wages that characterize Latin America, it is viable, possible, and probable that city residents can continue living there, in their city, in their borough, in their neighborhood, in their home.
We must prevent the displacement of people for monetary gain, because that will only complicate matters further. We need to be able to identify the consequences of our actions and our inaction. If people are forced to move to the outskirts due to economic hardship, their jobs, families, schools, and other essentials will be farther away, and the negative impact on these families will be more profound and far-reaching.
Let's start with the family. Ideally, people should live close to their regular activities. This way, everyone can fulfill their duties and roles effectively, according to their agreed-upon schedules. For example, a typical family wakes up at 6:00 a.m., the children start school at 8:00 a.m., and the parents work—one from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the other from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In this case, the father leaves early and can spend time with his children, helping them with their homework and ensuring they receive a proper upbringing in terms of values and teachings. By 5:15 p.m., all four family members can enjoy the rest of the day together: quality time, shared interests, entertainment and recreation, and preparations for the next day.
But what happens when work is far from home? Well, to begin with, everyone's schedules shift. The father, in this case, will have to wake up at 5 a.m. and leave for work before even saying hello to his family, since he has to take several modes of transportation to get to work on time, considering the city's usual traffic. The mother will get up at 6 a.m. but will drop the children off at school at 7 a.m., even though classes start at 8 a.m. From there, she'll have a two-hour commute to her job, which will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. because her transportation costs have increased considerably, and so that her children can stay for lunch and have activities until they finish work. Once they both leave work, they'll have several hours of travel back home. One of them will pick up the children, and from there they'll go home in the dark. Naturally, they're more exhausted, they don't want to know anything; they're drained of energy, they don't want to know about each other's problems or their children's; they just want to rest and recover, so their interaction and relationship slowly deteriorate. All because instead of being able to walk to work, they have to lose at least 4 hours of their lives a day that they could have used in their relationship, their common interests, or their educational work as parents.
Now let's look at the macro impact. Easily more than 1 million people experience this every day. Living—well, sleeping—in the State of Mexico and working in Mexico City.
Around 3 million people use the subway every day.
Mexico City is in the Top 10 cities with the most traffic in the world.
I don't have the exact number of cars on the road each day, but it's well known that Mexico City traffic is horrendous. And things get even more complicated because many of the cars have license plates from the State of Mexico, but many people got them because they didn't have to pay vehicle registration fees and weren't subject to traffic camera fines or things like that, but that's another story.
But a large percentage of Mexico City's workforce lives outside the city. And they literally have to cross from one side to the other to get from their homes to their jobs every day.
Is it by choice that people prefer to waste their time commuting, or is it simply that salaries and the high cost of housing in the city make it impossible to make ends meet? I don't know; it depends on each individual case, but it's something we should be questioning. If we want to improve the quality of life for individuals, families, and, consequently, the population as a whole, then this is crucial.
It would be wise to evaluate family income and the cost of living in each area, or to consider why there are so many "For Sale" and "For Rent" signs all over the city, all priced so high that no one is buying or renting them. Perhaps they aren't good "assets" for investors, or maybe they aren't the ideal place people are looking for to "live," or perhaps a family couldn't afford their home and the bank took it as collateral, and now it's for sale.
But in conclusion, the Affordable Housing Crisis is a very complex problem that, sadly, will not be solved because no one wants to solve it. It's not "in their best interest" to solve it because of the vested interests involved. And it's an issue that overlaps and intertwines with many others, making it a complex problem, and therefore, there is no simple solution.
But I invite you to reflect on this and realize that more than houses, what people and families need is a home. This is its definition:
A home is a place where an individual or group of individuals lives , creating a sense of security and calm . This feeling differs from the concept of a house, which simply refers to the physical dwelling. The word "home" comes from the place where the fire was lit, around which the family gathered for warmth and food.
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| In the essay you just read, I mentioned how chaotic Mexico City traffic can be. I'll soon be talking about cities designed for cars, so if you're interested in the topic, design, and learning more about how some people's decisions impact our daily lives, subscribe and follow me on social media at @_brianmonroy |