Affordable housing is a top concern for many communities, and most acutely, for frontline communities. In 2023, 70 percent of low-income households in King County spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing.40 Complicating matters, climate change is increasingly recognized for its significant impacts on communities beyond extreme weather events. Some climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, such as investing in green infrastructure, may unintentionally contribute to higher costs for renters and property owners. An additional threat to housing security includes “bluelining” - an emerging practice in which financial institutions increase prices of or withdraw services altogether from regions they perceive to be at high environmental risk,41 i.e., flooding and wildfire risk.
Yet, population growth has been steadily increasing in cities across the County,42 forcing frontline communities, especially low-income communities, to move further from their places of work, their roots, and their community to areas that are underserved by public transit. As climate impacts are felt, households with fewer resources and rising cost burdens, including utilities, continue to increase. Over the next decade, it will be critical for King County to include affordable housing and anti-displacement policies in conjunction with other climate adaptation efforts accessible to communities.
What's at stake
Historically, structural racism—including practices like racially restrictive covenants, redlining, blockbusting, and other public and private practices—has shaped where frontline communities live in King County.43 These forces have contributed to cascading disparities for BIPOC communities, restricting equal access to economic opportunities, health, wealth, and education. Many of these communities have the region’s lowest incomes, the greatest health needs, and have historically lacked public infrastructure investments—making them more vulnerable to
climate change impacts.44
These households will find it more challenging to afford to keep their homes resilient in the face of increasing heat waves, extreme weather events, wildfire smoke, and other climate impacts. Low-income households will also become more vulnerable to displacement away from urban centers. This displacement increases their vulnerability to climate hazards and emergencies if they lose their social networks with shared language, local community gathering spaces, and access to public transit.45
King County can lead the way toward mitigating the housing impacts of climate change by centering frontline communities in actions that bridge housing affordability, climate preparedness, anti-displacement strategies, and by partnering on community-driven initiatives.
A better outcome
Expanding capacity around climate and housing can help King County communities, especially frontline communities and decision-makers, understand the connections and identify strategies to address barriers to safe, affordable, climate-resilient housing.
What we've done to get here
- Developed the 2021 King County Skyway-West Hill and North Highline Anti-Displacement Report in partnership with residents and community leaders, provided recommendations for new affordable housing projects, inclusionary housing, and relocation assistance.
- Completed the King County Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) planning and implementation report—a community-driven framework for coordinating anti-displacement, climate resilience, and economic opportunity.
- Secured $13 million to launch the King County EDI Implementation Plan recommendations and increase capital investments in community-driven housing related projects.
- Issued a $20 million Climate Equity Capital Projects bond fund to implement seven projects located in areas and sites with high displacement risk that supported greenhouse gas emissions reduction, energy efficiency, green career pathways, and farmland infrastructure improvements.
- Integrated land use and community characteristics into Metro’s rapid bus transit planning projects.
42 Office of Financial and Economic Analysis, “Demographics Trends of King County,” 2020.