All the data tells us that housing is an expensive, and often unaffordable, proposition for many Americans. A shortage of between 4 million and 7 million homes has led to the average house now costing $420,000—an increase of 25% since 2019. At the same time, the housing shortage has driven rents to record highs, forcing more Americans than ever before to spend upwards of 30% of their income on rent.
The Pew Charitable Trusts has spent the last five years examining why the shortage and prices got to this point and—more importantly—what can be done about it. Our housing policy initiative has looked at zoning and other regulatory hurdles that limit the availability of homes, especially lower-cost options such as apartments and town houses, and has researched outdated financial regulations that have prevented millions of creditworthy homebuyers from obtaining mortgages on lower-priced homes.
That research has produced a body of knowledge that can be put to work fixing the obstacles to affording a home. One suggestion, outlined in this issue of Trust, is allowing more manufactured homes. A generation ago, these homes might have been dismissed as flimsy and poor alternatives to a traditional house. New federal building standards have changed that—today’s manufactured homes are sturdy, affordable, and quick to produce. But outdated regulations in nearly every state classify them as personal property, not houses. This makes getting mortgages harder, forcing many buyers to choose riskier financing. So Pew is urging state policymakers to take a fresh look at these regulations.
Another crucial issue that needs a fresh look is the health of the ocean. This issue explores the work of a number of Pew marine fellows, including 2020 fellow Andrianus Sembiring, from Indonesia, where demand for shark fins, which are used in luxury food products and traditional medicine, poses a serious threat to shark populations. Indonesia prohibits the sale of 12 specific shark species, but too often, the species of exported shark fins can’t be identified and regulated.
Sembiring built a reliable genetic test that quickly identifies fins from the protected species of sharks that are sold in international markets. And he has trained government staff, university scientists, representatives from nongovernmental organizations, and others to use the tool to improve monitoring and enforcement of the export market.
In this 35th year of the program, one of the newest fellows, Kristen Marhaver, a marine biologist with the CARMABI Marine Research Station in Curaçao, researches corals. These colorful living organisms that make up reefs have been dying at an alarming rate. She is exploring an array of innovations that could help coral eggs fertilize and grow into baby corals, which will go on to provide shelter, nurseries, and feeding grounds for untold marine species.
In Australia, the island’s landmass and its offshore waters are important for both people and nature. Since 2008, Pew has supported the work of Indigenous communities, scientists, conservation organizations, and others there to support healthy ecosystems and the communities that rely on them. Staff writer John Briley provides a first-person account in this issue of his visit to Australia when he traveled with a group of his Pew colleagues, and the Martu Rangers, into the Outback to see the impact of these efforts.
“Our people traveled this desert on foot, following Songlines”—melodic stories that connected water holes, ranger Bradley Wongawol told Briley. Like roads on a map, every Songline has a beginning and an end, and Indigenous Australians used them to navigate. Wongawol added, “We still pass these on to our young ones to make sure our culture and practices survive.” That knowledge is now leading to agreements between the Indigenous people and the government for co-management of Australian lands and waters—providing answers to the questions of how best to conserve these places for the people who live there.
These seemingly disparate endeavors are united by Pew’s approach to its work: We research subjects deeply, use facts to make recommendations for improvement, and always seek an array of partners to pursue common cause. That makes for a powerful combination of efforts—which leads to measurable and meaningful change.
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