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A homeless man in San Francisco holds a sign asking for spare change.
- In the last 10 years, San Francisco has seen rising rents, an escalating homelessness crisis, and a shortage of affordable housing development.
- The next decade will be a defining period in the city's history.
- If San Francisco doesn't get rid of single-family zoning laws or limit short-term rentals, only the wealthy few might be able to live there.
- The city must also build affordable homes areas that aren't vulnerable to wildfires or sea-level rise.
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San Francisco has turned into something akin to a nightmare. Its homeless population has risen to nearly 10,000 residents, its rents have climbed to nearly $1,900 per month, and parts of its downtown are now littered with used needles, trash, and human poop.
As more tech workers flock to the city for jobs at Google, Facebook, and Uber, longtime creative professionals like artists and musicians have found it increasingly difficult to live there.
The next decade will be a defining period in the city's history, Alicia John-Baptiste, the president of SPUR - a research organization that develops solutions to major problems in the Bay Area - told Business Insider. Those ten years could determine whether San Francisco is able to accommodate its low-income residents or if it transforms into a city that only the wealthy few can afford.
Here are some ways to improve the city before it's too late.