Affordable Housing is a ‘Wicked’ Problem

Recent legislation in Colorado increasing tenant rights has many people quite upset (and understandably so, in many ways). The second and third order effects of making it more difficult to evict non paying tenants will include less interest in investing in the housing market here. It’s also putting many small landlords in difficult positions, with some having to sell their propert(ies) vs. continuing the risk of renting. Proponents of the legislation may think this will increase owner occupant ownership but it’s as if not more likely it will have the effect of consolidating ownership into the hands of the big companies even faster.

Further discussion of this problem is beyond the scope of the intent of this article. Rather, I submit that affordable housing is what is called a ‘wicked’ problem and may not actually have an answer. The push pull or pendulum effect of policy — action — consequences may be the best we can hope for.

This isn’t defeatism. Rather, it’s recognition of the nature of the problem.

Introduced by C. West Churchman and/or Horst Rittel in 1967, the term ‘wicked problem’ indicates a complex problem that is difficult or impossible to solve due to incomplete or contradictory requirements, the need to balance multiple competing factors, and the interconnected nature of the problem to other problems. Some key…