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

January 23, 2019

Amazon HQ2 and the Demand for Housing in Northern Virginia

In December, I attended a forum on Amazon and the Northern Virginia housing market. The audience was primarily made up of realtors along with apartment owners and managers and the focus was on what the impact of Amazon’s arrival might be on home prices and rents in the region. If those in attendance were expecting […]
November 21, 2018

Local Solutions in Action: Opportunity Zones

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. Opportunity Zones The Opportunity Zone […]
Did Housing Affordability Even Matter to Amazon?
November 15, 2018

Did Housing Affordability Even Matter to Amazon?

When Amazon announced that it had selected both Northern Virginia and New York locations for its second headquarters, there was outrage that the entire process had been a stunt and a sham. One criticism has been that while Amazon claimed to be concerned about housing availability and affordability in its selection process, the choice of […]
November 14, 2018

3D Printed Housing: The next frontier for affordable housing?

3D printed home in Nantes France. Source: BBC Over this past summer, a French family of five became the first in the world to permanently live in a 3D printed home. The 4-bedroom, 1,022 square foot home was printed on-site in just 54 hours in the city of Nantes France. Over the past few years, […]
Is Attainable Housing Around the Corner?
October 22, 2018

Is Attainable Housing Around the Corner?

Attainable housing often refers to for-sale housing that is affordable to moderate-income households, often first-time homebuyers. These households are increasingly being priced out of the homeownership market and as a result are renting. Current trends are pointing towards a growing awareness of the unmet demand for attainable housing and a shift in residential construction practices […]
Local Solutions in Action: Faith-Based Development
October 16, 2018

Local Solutions in Action: Faith-Based Development

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. Faith-Based Development There has been […]
Making the Connection Between Housing and Health
October 9, 2018

Making the Connection Between Housing and Health

Where we live has an enormous impact on our health and well-being. Recent research has demonstrated that the neighborhood in which a person lives can be an more important predictor of health than his or her genetic makeup. If individual and family health depends on their zip code, it is more important than ever to […]
Defining Workforce Housing
September 26, 2018

Defining Workforce Housing

How do we define “workforce housing”? Like any assessment of housing needs and market conditions, the definition should depend on the community. “Workforce housing” is commonly defined as housing for households with incomes above those typically served by federal housing programs. Housing affordable to households with incomes between 60 and 120 percent of area median […]