UAS Ally: Allison Quaid What does home mean to you? When I ask people around the Bay Area that question, the words "family" or "friends" repeatedly came up. The relationships that we have with those we cherish contribute to what makes a place feel like home. However, what happens when the high cost of housing forces families and friends to move apart?

The Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Communities recently made a film, Building Communities We Care About, which highlights stories of people who have had to move away from their families or leave their dream jobs in the Bay Area due to the high cost of housing. Almost 90% of households can't afford to buy a home here in the Bay Area, and so they end up moving far out, to places where they can afford a home, and commuting long distances back into urban job centers.

Many of us in the Bay Area are quite familiar with these facts, because if they don't personally impact us, they affect someone we know. For myself, I struggle to find an affordable home on my non-profit salary, wondering why those of us who work hard to improve the quality of life for our communities can not afford to buy a home within them. My best friend just moved to Denver with her husband not only for a new job, but also because they can afford to buy a home. She is not my first friend to leave because of housing affordability.

In addition to the need to provide safe, attractive housing for people at all income levels, the region's job growth and the natural birth rate will lead to an increase of one million people in the next 15 years. Let's pause for a moment to consider our region's job growth. It's understandable - this region is host to a tremendous amount of technological innovation. It's desirable - those jobs attracted many of us here and put food on the table. It's also good for the local governments that serve us, because retail and commercial spaces bring revenue into city coffers, paying for city services we benefit from.

However, there is an enormous disconnect between the people who approve the influx of new jobs and those who disapprove new housing in their neighborhoods. We need to make sure we have enough housing for all the new jobs we permit within a town's limits (or very close by its limits). For example, of the 37,000 people who work in San Leandro, 30,000 commute in from neighboring counties. It would seem to make sense to provide more housing units in San Leandro.

It's obvious we need to build more affordable, safe, attractive housing in existing urban areas to keep up with growth. Where possible it should be concentrated near bus and rail lines, so as to keep traffic congestion and air pollution down. There should also be parks nearby. And, we have to build higher, because the consequences of not building five story buildings and up are too dire. This region is bounded by water and protected hillsides, which leaves us the only option of building up instead of out. Sprawling out puts more global warming pollution in the atmosphere, and consumes the remaining agricultural land on the outskirts of the Bay Area.

So why don't we see more housing being built in our neighborhoods? The sticking point for established community members and existing homeowners is that they don't want their quality of life to change. They like how their existing community looks, and fear negative impacts of bringing in more homes. I understand those concerns, however, the consequences of not building housing are too grave for many families.

The time has come to consider the needs of our community as a whole, to not only make sure our communities reflect the character we love, but which meets the needs of people who actually work in those communities, or whose family members would like to live close by.

Visit your city's website and find out about development going on in your community. Your voice is needed to ensure we are building enough housing for all, and we're building within our existing urban communities. Consider attending city council meetings or joining a local group who advocates for smart growth. There are several organizations operating around the Bay Area who are always looking for supporters of development which will meet your needs and build the foundation for strong communities for years to come. I'm hopeful that we can create communities for the 21st century which respond to today's needs - affordability, economic growth, and the avoidance of further global warming.

Watch Building Communities We Care About will be screened at the next UAS Green Movie Night. Allison Quaid is the Executive Director of Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Communities and will speak at the Novemeber Green Movie Night.