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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

Where We Live: Millennial Homeowners in the DC Region
June 12, 2018

Where We Live: Millennial Homeowners in the DC Region

In 2016, the homeownership rate for 25 to 34 year olds was 34.0 percent, down from 46.6 percent in 2006 and 41.0 percent in 2000. Rates of homeownership among Millennials households remain relatively low for a variety of reasons, some interrelated – uncertain economic prospects following the Great Recession, a tight mortgage market, rising student […]
Housing Matters to Local Economic Development
June 6, 2018

Housing Matters to Local Economic Development

When Amazon set out to look for a location for its second headquarters, HQ2, it released a detailed RFP that made clear the type of community it felt would be best for supporting the growth of its company. Amazon specifically asked communities competing for HQ2 to clearly describe their quality of life, including information about […]
How Can We Build More Housing? The Easy Answer Is Not Usually Easy
May 29, 2018

How Can We Build More Housing? The Easy Answer Is Not Usually Easy

According to recent research from a collaboration of public policy, advocacy and economic research organizations, 23 states in the United States built 7.3 million too few housing units between 2000 and 2015. The biggest deficit was in California, where fast job growth has attracted millions of new residents and metro areas up and down the […]
Local Solutions in Action: Expedited Development Review and Approval Process
May 21, 2018

Local Solutions in Action: Expedited Development Review and Approval Process

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. Expedited Development Review and Permitting […]
What Do We Know About the Impacts of Rent Control?
May 14, 2018

What Do We Know About the Impacts of Rent Control?

Renewed interest in rent control in California and otherplaces is a reaction to growing housing affordability challenges across the country and in high-cost coastal markets, in particular. As rents continue to rise, rent control is being advocated as a mechanism to help mitigate the rental affordability challenge and make it easier for lower-income individuals and […]
What I Learned About Local Housing Policy from Online Dating
May 7, 2018

What I Learned About Local Housing Policy from Online Dating

I met my husband on Match.com. He is an awesome guy! But when you’re meeting people online, you can end up going on A LOT of less than awesome dates. Most of the time, the only fallout was an awkward hour over coffee or a drink. You usually don’t learn a lot about a person […]
Where We Live: Millennials, Gen X’ers and Boomers in the DC Area
May 1, 2018

Where We Live: Millennials, Gen X’ers and Boomers in the DC Area

Age matters a lot when it comes to predicting where someone lives. Looking at residential location patterns by age might help us predict future housing demand in different types of metros. A lot has been written about how Millennials are choosing to live in different places than earlier generations did and that Baby Boomers are […]
Housing Solutions for Small Cities
April 23, 2018

Housing Solutions for Small Cities

I was part of a panel series in Charlottesville, Virginia earlier this month that was part of the annual Tom Tom Founders Festival that is held each year in Charlottesville and was focused on housing issues in high-cost small cities. The housing panels brought together housing planners, developers, advocates and others from communities all around […]