BBefore there were water systems, storm sewers, sewers, streets, roads, bridges, and other modern wonders, we had homes.
It may have been a highly mobile tent or firmly built into the walls of a canyon, but it was the housing that defined the place and the people. That is still true today, but it is often ignored by economic development agencies.
We say, “A man's home is his castle!” We declare, “This is my property and I may do with it as I see fit!”
But we have zoning, building codes, authoritarian homeowners associations, property taxes, craft unions, real estate cartels, big home builders, individual home builders, and their political There is an active building trade association. Should I continue this?
The Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) recently published a report on relief for rural areas advocated by five of the six Republican gubernatorial candidates. When these candidates mention housing, it's buried in a series of items included in their general policy statements.
Nowhere was there any mention of the fact that 53.4 percent of Indiana's 2.7 million occupied homes were built more than 45 years ago. These homes can be great assets to the community, or they can become dilapidated eyesores.
Although we perform minimal home inspections, this work can be funded by many community foundations, with funding from some of our richest philanthropic organizations. But that requires training of inspectors, and Ivy Tech is well-positioned to address this challenge.
You never know which homes may have poor insulation, dodgy wiring, leaky roofs, or sinking foundations. And even if we knew, we are not prepared to do anything about stabilizing/improving this critical community infrastructure.
Candidates may talk about improving education as a top priority for economic development, but today people want good housing not only for themselves but also for their children. Good homes, healthy homes, and well-maintained homes attract and retain people who create good communities.
Housing is the essence of community. Housing attracts retail business. Factories and offices attract workers who may not live where the jobs are located. Without residents, there would be no schools, no retail businesses, no poker games, no libraries, no celebratory parades.
Indiana is a state with many homeowners. Almost 71% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied, compared to 65% nationally. If homeownership rates were at nationally low levels, Indiana would have 949,400 more rental homes and even fewer homeowners.
Does homeownership create better communities, or is housing quality a function of income and age, not years of employment?
How do we begin to recognize a community's stake in good housing when so many property owners have not accepted their role in neighborhood decline? How can we support local homeownership when absentee landlords neglect their responsibilities?
Read this column to find out which Republican gubernatorial candidate will win. Perhaps that will change the path to November's election from petty infighting to serious consideration of making Indiana a better place to live.
Morton Marcus is an economist. Please contact mortonjmarcus@gmail.com.
