There’s a lot of talk about too much construction, population growth and increasing traffic in Charleston. It’s clear that this misses one of the root causes of these challenges, not to mention the effect these challenges have on each other.
These challenges are symptoms of a larger problem that we haven’t done a good job of diagnosing. And the people hurting the most? Our nurses, police officers and hospitality workers who cannot afford to live and work in Charleston.
It’s the lack of affordable and attainable housing. Housing costs are outpacing wage growth, so people can’t afford to live near where they work. About 35 percent of Lowcountry households spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
