LETTER: Newton's Laws of Motion better describe city's housing issues

SooToday received the following letter to the editor from Selva Rasaiah in response to this article which outlines how Ward 3 Coun. Ron Zagordo uses the second law of thermodynamics as an analogy for the city's response to area derelict properties.

Without a properly implemented plan backed by enforcement, the issue of managing the ugly blight of derelict properties will continue to be an issue in keeping our city “as beautiful as we can.” A reference by Councillor Zagordo to the Second Law of Thermodynamics underscores the complex reasons and reality of the housing crisis, and our apparent need to increase the city’s demolition reserve to manage derelict properties. The “science” is well understood in a city where progress has been hindered by the absence of an effective leadership to resolve and implement meaningful actions to maintain current properties and capitalize on the opportunities for affordable housing units while managing the social issues created by derelict properties and absentee landlords.

Newton’s Laws of Motion provide a better explanation of an issue which has grown from a lack of political will and determination to implement the right action plan to manage the issue.

While housing and property standards issues steadily increased over the past several years, the city resisted making the necessary changes and operated within the principles of Newton’s First Law of Motion (Inertia). This law describes how an object stays at rest or travels in a straight line at a constant speed unless acted on by an unbalanced force. While concerns of affordable housing became more evident, our city council seemed content to stay at rest and remain at their current pace by avoiding to enact the affordable housing requirement for new developments. By enacting affordable housing requirements, we generate the unbalanced force to overcome the inertia resisting the change impeding our progress.

We are now faced with the inevitable reality of increasing the property demolition reserve for derelict properties. This is counterproductive to the “classic scientific method” that involves enforcing property standards bylaws that would ultimately conserve resources and assist in managing housing supply shortages.

One of the biggest challenges is generating the “force” required to ensure the city enforces property standards bylaws and accelerate progress to resolve this issue. This is best explained by Newton’s Second Law of Motion (Force). The second law states the acceleration of an object depends on the mass of the object and the amount of force applied. An issue like the housing crisis with a “large mass” can not be managed without strong active public involvement and critical media coverage. This is the most effective way to ensure there will be a sufficient “force” to progress at a faster pace and in the right direction.

How do we generate enough force to keep our city’s decisionmakers moving in the right direction?

Newton’s Third Law (Action & Reaction) describes the unfortunate reality with expressing opinions about what we feel should be done and critiquing those with political power. This law describes how when one object exerts a force on another object, an equal and opposite force is exerted by the second object on the first object. This law best explains the limitations of critical media stories, and the primary reason why many people avoid openly expressing their opinion in a public forum.

Believe the science, Newton’s Laws of Motion have not changed. The way to create positive change requires applying a strong continual force in the right direction on an issue whose mass is increasing to a point that it will eventually be beyond the force our local resources can generate to manage it.

- Selva Rasaiah