Drone view, high above housing development.

Housing Affordability

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What does this indicator mean?

The cost of housing as a percentage of income

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How is this indicator useful for creating and measuring activity-friendly places?

  • To determine how many households pay too much for housing.
  • To prioritize where to make investments to support a range of housing options (e.g., to help more people live close to jobs, to increase discretionary income).
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What would help the most people benefit from this indicator?

  • Build more compact, mixed housing types in neighborhoods where housing demand is high.
  • Eliminate unnecessary parking requirements.
  • Encourage a mix of housing types and sizes to allow families with kids, empty nesters, young adults, and people of all ages and abilities to live next to each other.
  • Specifically develop zoning incentives and requirements to assure a variety of housing types, sizes, and costs, including row houses and townhomes; multi-family units (duplexes, quads, etc.); accessory dwelling units (such as over-garage and garden apartments); tiny homes; and other creative approaches.
  • Implement property tax abatements for low-income homeowners.
  • Provide regulatory incentives to developers to build affordable housing.