Geographic information systems (GIS) allow policymakers to analyze data that is referenced to a geographic location. Part of what makes GIS useful is its ability to both analyze and display data at various geographic scales (neighborhood, municipality, and county levels, among others) and to highlight patterns among interacting social, economic, and environmental variables. Information can be layered and presented simultaneously, to uncover expected and unexpected relationships among various phenomena.
Margery Austin Turner, Vice President for Research at The Urban Institute, recently shared insights on the persistence of neighborhood segregation in a presentation at HUD titled “Racial & Ethnic Equity Gaps – How Do the 100 Biggest Metros Compare?” Ms. Turner’s research centers on changes in neighborhood composition between 1980 and today.
Seven and a half million American households in the country's 100 largest metro areas lack a personal vehicle. In August 2011, the Brookings Institution released a study that describes the characteristics of these households and assesses their economic and transportation opportunities. The two-year study builds on Brookings' recent "Missed Opportunity" report that looks at the spatial mismatch between people and jobs.
U.S. residential housing stock consisted of more than 128.2 million units in 2007, increasing to more than 130.1 million by 2009. These net totals are the outward expression of the nation's extremely dynamic housing inventory during that timeframe. One tool housing analysts use to track housing dynamics is known as the Components of Inventory Change, or CINCH, which relies on American Housing Survey (AHS) data. When units are lost or added to the longitudinal AHS sample, CINCH analyses shed light on the underlying activity that leads to those losses or additions to the housing stock.
The American Housing Survey (AHS) is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide housing data for HUD.
The year 2010 marked a crucial milestone in the quest for fair housing. In addition to its longstanding duty to monitor specific instances of discrimination, HUD began to more proactively address the regulatory and structural frameworks that give rise to discriminatory practices.
A demographic shift is underway in the United States. By 2040, the number of seniors (65 and older) will have doubled from 40 to 81 million — or from 13 to 20 percent of the resident population. A large majority of adults prefer to stay in their own home throughout their retirement, owing to the desire to remain independent, the comfort afforded by familiar surroundings, and in many instances, the costs associated with nursing home and other elder care facilities.
HUD's 2009 biennial assessment of "worst case housing needs" explores the number of unassisted very low-income renter households (earning incomes of 50% or less of the area median income (AMI) who pay more than half their monthly income for housing (97.2%), live in severely substandard housing (2.9%), or both (3.4%).
Residents of public housing typically pay 30 percent of their household's adjusted income in rent; this figure is a conventional indicator of affordable housing in the United States. However, some flexibility applies when establishing a benchmark for the amount of rent that assisted households should pay. First, tenants have the option of paying rent based on 30 percent of their adjusted household income or paying a flat rate set by the public housing authority (PHA). The flat rate is often based on number of bedrooms and local rent levels as suggested by fair market rents (FMRs). Flat rent rates remain the same when and if a household's income increases, and can appeal to assisted households with relatively higher incomes.
A count of people experiencing homelessness in communities across America revealed that veterans, who make up less than 8 percent of the total U.S. population, represented roughly 16 percent of adults experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2009.
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From Street Life to Housing: Consumer and Provider Perspectives on Service Delivery and Access to Housing
Community and Economic Development
Regulatory Barriers to Manufactured Housing Placement in Urban Communities
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Enhancing Energy Efficiency and Green Building Design in Section 202 and Section 811 Programs
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Quantifying Energy Efficiency in Multifamily Rental Housing
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Bridging the Gap: Homelessness Policy
