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

The Fair Housing Act at 50: Local Planning for Housing Opportunity
April 10, 2018

The Fair Housing Act at 50: Local Planning for Housing Opportunity

Since the passage of the Fair Housing Act, overt discrimination in housing market transactions based on race has declined significantly. However, fifty years out from the adoption of the Fair Housing Act, the nation’s long history of both explicit and implicit racial bias means that there remain persistent inequalities in access to housing in high-quality […]
April 11, 2017

Immigrants and the Suburban Dream

Over the past two decades, immigrants have fueled the growth of suburban communities all across the country. And in the years to come, one of the greatest sources of housing demand in the country—and particularly in the suburbs—will be from people who come to the United States from other countries. New research I recently completed […]
April 7, 2017

Why Don’t Local Jurisdictions Track Housing Data Better?

An audit of the District of Columbia’s Housing Trust Fund (HTF) found that the fund was significantly mismanaged over the 2001 – 2015 period. Rules about certifying income eligibility for affordable units were unclear or ignored. Below-market-rate units that were supposed to be built with HTF dollars were sometimes never built. DC’s trust fund–and local […]
October 7, 2016

Housing as School Policy

There is abundant research showing that stable and affordable housing is associated with improved educational outcomes among children in low-income families. Access to affordable housing can result in fewer moves and can reduce overcrowding and other housing-related stresses. Housing assistance can help families move to neighborhoods with higher quality schools and housing investments can be […]
October 4, 2016

Can We Predict Gentrification?

There is no universally-accepted definition of gentrification; however, people usually think of gentrification as the movement of higher-income, often white households into lower-income, often minority city neighborhoods. Gentrification is associated with rising rents and home prices, and can lead to displacement of lower-income individuals and families. There can be positive outcomes associated with gentrification when […]
June 7, 2016

Housing as Part of the Roadmap for the Region’s Economic Future: The Prospect for Regional Collaboration

The Washington, D.C. area economy is the in the midst of dramatic restructuring – largely as a result of declines in federal spending in the region. A group of business and community leaders, along with advocates, philanthropists and funders, have come together to work on strategies for repositioning the regional economy to ensure that the […]
May 12, 2016

Separating Fact from Fiction in Research on Inclusionary Housing Programs

Why should we study the impacts of local affordable housing policies? One key reason is to help planners and policymakers design better programs that will meet their communities’ needs. But what if research studies seem to come to different conclusions? How can you figure out what research to rely on? In the report Separating Fact […]
May 11, 2016

Innovative State and Local Policies: Local Funding Sources

Local funds are critical to the financing of affordable housing. The combination of bank financing and tax credits will always leave a gap in high-cost markets like the Washington, D.C. region. As a result, very- and extremely- low income housing communities are most in need of a wide variety of gap funding. Federal resources, including […]