Embrace Neighborliness: Sign on to the Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC Platform

January 30, 2024

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC is a program of MountainTrue that supports protecting and creating homes for our neighbors in places that reduce our collective carbon footprint.

Healthy communities exist within the context of a healthy environment — and right now, both are threatened. There is a housing shortage across the country, with many hard-working families unable to find a place to live. There is also a climate crisis, with greenhouse gas emissions threatening the stability of all our planet’s ecosystems and biodiversity.

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC that the following principles represent one piece of the solution to both of these crises:

  • Re-legalizing a variety of modest, mid-size home choices, like accessory dwelling units, duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes in residential city neighborhoods.
  • Protecting our farms and forests for carbon sequestration by building up within our existing cities and towns instead of out where new land must be cleared, new roads built, and reliance on personal vehicles increases.
  • Preserving existing homes and buildings is an efficient use of resources, generates less waste than new construction, and is an important way to prevent displacement of our neighbors.
  • Investments in multi-modal transportation networks like transit and bike lanes allow more families to live in close proximity to town centers without increasing vehicular traffic and congestion.

To support this vision, please consider signing on to the Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC Platform.

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC Platform

We face a national housing shortage and a climate emergency that requires our communities to take action. We can make room in our neighborhoods and in our towns for more housing in a way that is sustainable. By supporting walkable communities with more housing choice:

  • Make it easier for people to live close to their schools, jobs, grocery stores, public transit, and bike lanes.
  • Reduce the amount people need to drive and the vehicle emissions that contribute to climate change.
  • Reduce “sprawl” — the unfettered development of our forests and farmlands — which leads to the destruction of our natural carbon sinks and undermines our region’s food security.

That’s why I support:

  • Re-legalizing a variety of modest, mid-size home choices, like accessory dwelling units, duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes in residential city neighborhoods.
  • Protecting our farms and forests for carbon sequestration by building up within our existing cities and towns, instead of out where new land must be cleared, new roads built, and reliance on personal vehicles increases.
  • Preserving existing homes and buildings as an efficient use of resources that generates less waste than new construction, and prevents the displacement of our neighbors.
  • Investments in multi-modal transportation networks like transit and bike lanes that allow more families to live in close proximity to town centers without increasing vehicular traffic and congestion.