LSA

Local Planning, Housing Research, Forecasts and Analyses

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September 24, 2026

Inclusionary Housing: One Tool, Not One Size Fits All

September 24, 2026

Inclusionary Housing: One Tool, Not One Size Fits All

As communities across the country grapple with rising housing costs, local leaders are looking for ways to expand the supply of housing that is affordable to lower- and moderate-income households.…
September 14, 2026

Income Inequality Drives Home Price Growth

September 14, 2026

Income Inequality Drives Home Price Growth

Home values have surged over the past decade, but appreciation varies significantly across markets. In general, economic theory would suggest that metro areas with stronger housing demand experience faster home…

Recent Posts

May 30, 2019

Housing is Where Workers Sleep at Night

Having a sufficient supply of housing that is affordable to the workforce is critically important for attracting and retaining workers and supporting robust local and regional economic growth. Diverse housing options at a wide range of price and rent levels creates a competitive economic advantage for a community. Businesses and local government leaders around the […]
May 7, 2019

The Need for Housing Connects Us All

Growing up, I gave little thought to housing as a foundation to a person’s health and well-being and for personal and professional development. I never thought about it much growing up because the roof over my head was a stable one. This freed up space to focus on school, and in general, do kid things. […]
May 2, 2019

Who Should Cities be Helping?

  A recent Washington Post article asked the question: Should cities subsidize housing for a family making $141,000? The issue has been raised as DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed a $20 million workforce housing fund in the city to support the development of housing affordable to middle-income households. There has been sharp criticism from […]
March 21, 2019

How Are Babies Made? (Hint: It’s not by building apartments…)

In local debates about building new multifamily housing, the conversation often turns to babies—well, actually to the school-age children that babies ultimately become. The argument is that new housing equals new school children, and new apartments likely means new lower-income school children. Because schools are often overcrowded as it is and school funding remains insufficient […]
March 7, 2019

Local Solutions in Action: School District-Owned Land

The Local Solutions in Action series highlights strategies for expanding housing options and increasing housing affordability. The focus is on land use, zoning, financial and other regulatory tools that are available to cities, counties and towns that can be used to meet the housing needs of their residents and workforce. School District-Owned Land Public land […]
March 4, 2019

Three Questions We Ask at Community Meetings

Three Questions We Ask at Community Meetings Community meetings are critical to any local housing planning process. We know a lot more than we used to—thanks to groups like the Frameworks Institute, MacArthur Foundation and Enterprise Community Partners—about how to talk about the challenge of housing affordability to guide the conversation away from myths, misconceptions […]
February 28, 2019

Why We Care About Interest Rates

Late last year, it seemed all but certain that the Fed would be raising rates in 2019, perhaps three or four times. However, now it is looking like the Fed could move more slowly on interest rate hikes. Why do we care so much about the Federal Reserve and whether the Fed decides to push […]
January 25, 2019

Local Solutions in Action: Motel Conversion

The Local Solutions in Action series highlights strategies for expanding housing options and increasing housing affordability. The focus is on land use, zoning, financial and other regulatory tools that are available to cities, counties and towns that can be used to meet the housing needs of their residents and workforce. Adaptive Reuse: Motel Conversion Adaptive […]