By: Alivia Ball

This image shows a small town home in Fort Collins, Colorado. Photo by: Ferrey Rauch Asset Management

Fort Collins, Colo.- People will never cease to complain about the cost of living in the capitalist society of the United States, and rightfully so. In relatively sustainable towns such as Fort Collins, Colorado, residents are starting to realize the life they covet may no longer be affordable to them. It is inevitable that as a city grows, so does the cost of living, yet many people lack the income to support themselves in an economy growing so rapidly. And because of the increasingly expensive cost of living and lack of affordable housing in a desirable town like Fort Collins, this city struggles with higher levels of poverty every year. Inequality is promoted while equity is ignored.

For the price of housing, Fort Collins doesn’t have significant commodities to offer. People pay an excessive amount of money for lackluster housing options. Because of the increased cost of living in Northern Colorado, people have been less inclined to move to a place where they cannot afford their lifestyle.

A journal article about Evaluating Housing Affordability in Fort Collins says “average monthly listed rents in the U.S. increased 14.1 percent year-over-year, with certain metro areas seeing hikes above 30 percent.” When wages don’t follow this increase in housing prices, people struggle to afford housing in the areas they have established their lifestyles. Much of this issue could be solved by addressing the problem that zoning of urban developments has caused. In the outskirts of cities, zoning has created inequality and ineffective housing systems. Cities are designed to function mechanically, but not promote the satisfaction and happiness of citizens.