Housing Inequality in AmericaMain MenuThe Generational Illusion: An EssayAn Essay by Collin AndrewsEnvironmental Racism: How Residential Segregation Shapes Environmental InequalityHistoric Preservation Coast to CoastTitle PageNative American Housing: How Poor Housing Harms Indigenous HealthHow Poor Housing Harms Indigenous HealthPets & Housing: It's "Ruff" by Katie ClineHow NIMBYism Exacerbates Housing InequalityWhere's the Wealth!How Housing Discrimination has led to racial wealth inequality in the United StatesImmigrant Housing Inequality in AmericaIswat JinadSurveillance InequalityAn investigation into how poor communities are oversurveilled creating a cycle of more targeted and aggressive forms of surveillance for them and those around them.Post-WWII Urban Flight and the Birth of the SuburbsHousing Discrimination in Suburban AmericaRace, Repressive State Apparatus, and Homelessness: From Colonialism to COVID-19Tina NandiHousing Inequality and Access to Quality EducationMQ: Title PageVisualizing racial housing discriminationSplash page for path that includes interactive resources regarding racial housing discriminationProject information and creditsAndy Schocket278555063cc66428c8eadf42f48d412091c5aaf9Melissa Laddab8653014603439710b65435181f2130cee53400Andrew Bartelc9a57442f34fea7858b734ce98f4ec79bd5565b0Collin Andrewsf69afa6ae7fb0f33058b9e0cb476f7451a667cefTina Nandi6e38643c2c1510534cce4e954f0eeb8108bce699Iswat Jinad196dd805bf51f7a46fbf2d94ab069e97fc004d75Marcus Harris7e23857364c2363b25872718aea81323bdd37773James Cousinoe9398a1542d344c824ddaaf967819ae589cd2b61Katie Cline512add1943f75cbd770d4788dcdea90b706922c4Trisha A Bonham7fa13b399c9331700d719225b96f3bf9e54c4570Rene Oswald Ayalac01cc7385c24c3926f2f03a40860f6a4f703f410Kristine Ketel826fdfc33a24cff2c1e0ab79396dd2ae2bae3ed9Morgan Quinleyc8a47798c223cced64347bc9a7d80f6a64402e45
The Wray used to contain office space used by the State Department. Now, well-heeled renters can look out and see the Washington Monument from richly appointed, eco-friendly units that go for $2,500 to $4,500 per month. D.C. is first in the nation when it comes to office-to-residential conversions, and nearby towns like Alexandria aren’t far behind. These high-end apartments don’t do anything to address housing inequality, though. Developers in D.C. are taking advantage of repurposing historic buildings for housing, but ignore both the history of these buildings and the need for accessible housing with the creation of so many sleek new upscale apartments.
These conversions ostensibly aim to help address the need for new homes, but during a housing crisis that impacts everyone, why are so many new developments luxury developments? Daniel Herriges suggests that construction costs, chaotic supply and demand, zoning and regulations, and cities that make it difficult to build “missing middle” housing are the reason. While Herriges is talking about completely new development, all these factors apply to repurposing historic buildings for housing. It’s a complex, difficult process, and developers are eager to recoup costs.
Even more worrying, other cities like NYC are looking to follow D.C.’s lead in converting office buildings into residential buildings. Spurred on by pandemic shifts, they appear on track to create more housing only attainable by the wealthy. In Washington, D.C. old buildings are being converted at an astonishing rate, but the need for affordable housing remains high. How can the nation’s capital, and other cities from coast to coast, effectively use the resource of old buildings to create equitable housing opportunities?