Podcast Classroom Guide: Housing laws, local control, and tiny houses in NH
In this podcast episode Mike Dunbar and Anna Brown explore a bill that would force towns to allow tiny houses. They discuss the role of government in regulating housing as well as tensions between “local control” advocates and state policymakers.
Length:
Podcast includes 15 minutes about tiny house and affordable housing policy debates, 3 additional minutes of "fun facts" about New Hampshire's law against chicken trespassing.
Key concepts/standards
- Government’s role in regulating housing at the state versus local level
- SS:CV:12:1.1: Identify the structures and functions of government at various levels, e.g., county—role of the sheriff’s office, or nation—role of providing the defense of the country. (Themes: A: Conflict and Cooperation, B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement)
- SS:CV:12:1.2: Examine how institutions and individuals make, apply, and enforce rules and laws, e.g., the Federal Communications Commission regulations on television broadcast standards or local public hearings on zoning regulations. (Themes: B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement, E: Cultural Development, Interaction, and Change)
- SS:CV:12:1.3: Evaluate how the purposes of government have been interpreted , e.g., promoting the general welfare or protection of private property. (Themes: B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement, D: Material Wants and Needs)
- Current events: New Hampshire’s affordable housing shortage in the legislature
- SS:CV:8:2.4: Explain the legislative and political processes by which a bill becomes a law or government policy is established at the local, state, and federal levels, e.g., citizen petitions or conference committees. (Themes: B: Civic Ideals, Practices, and Engagement, H: Individualism, Equality and Authority)
- SS:CV:12:4.2: Investigate how knowledgeable and engaged citizens have acted to preserve and extend their liberties, e.g., writing letters to the editor or participating in town meetings. (Themes: A: Conflict and Cooperation)
Discussion questions
- What are some reasons someone might choose to live in a “tiny home”?
- Why might community leaders want to ban tiny homes?
- What is the “affordable housing crisis” in New Hampshire? What does “affordable housing” mean?
- How could tiny homes help address the affordable housing crisis? Would they be a good solution?
- What are some other ways (besides tiny homes) that local and state government could make housing more affordable?
- What are “zoning laws” and “building codes”? How do these terms play into the debate over tiny houses?
- Should the state force towns and cities to allow tiny homes?
