Unequal Cities
Consider a city in the future where the population has grown and the supply of housing cannot meet the needs of the population. The majority of single-family homes are occupied by retired couples who have owned their homes for many decades, and may, in many cases, no longer need the space they once did. The majority of families with young children live in overcrowded apartment complexes in an industrial neighborhood with air pollution from factories and no outdoor parks within walking distance.
To address this problem, the city decides that at age 65, all residents will be moved into high-rise retirement homes in the city center, and all their basic needs will be met for the remainder of their lives. Their homes would then become available to families with young children. This policy is designed to be cyclical, ensuring that all residents under 65 will eventually have their turn in these high-rise retirement homes when they reach the specified age and the next generation will have access to their single-family homes.
Of course, this policy imposes a significant burden on the lives of senior citizens, who are required to leave homes they may have lived in for most of their adult lives. At the same time, the policy seems to offer a fair rotational system. Every member of society has the opportunity to live in their own housing before being moved into the high-rise homes. If implemented equally and well, it seems, over their complete lives, everyone will be treated equally. This scenario may seem analogous in some ways to the situation of social security programs in the U.S., where younger taxpayers pay to support older Americans and expect in turn to be supported by the upcoming generation.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Would the cyclical housing policy described in the case be unjust? Would it wrong those who are required to leave their homes when they age?
Should citizens ever give up their claims to some kinds of resources that could be better used by others? Which kinds of resources?
Does the fact that every citizen gets an equal amount of time in the premium housing justify the burden it imposes on people whose time in individual housing is up?
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