Housing Policy Case Studies

This case study features the Atlanta Land Trust (ALT), a CLT founded to address homeownership affordability and legacy resident displacement along the Atlanta BeltLine.

Localities and other jurisdictions that receive Community Development Block Grant or other U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds are obligated to affirmatively further fair housing. This entails taking “meaningful actions to overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities.” This case study series focuses on a mobility program in Buffalo, NY; a series of place-based strategies and investments in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA; and a regional fair housing planning process conducted by multiple localities in the North Texas region.

Across the country, cities, towns, and counties are seeking new ways to address shortages in housing supply and rising housing costs. To address their housing needs, some localities are encouraging the use of manufactured and modular housing — two methods of off-site construction that allow homes to be built faster and often at a more affordable price point.

The share of the country’s population that is 65 and older has grown significantly in recent decades. People are living longer, birth rates are lower, and baby boomers (an estimated 73 million people born between 1946 and 1964) are aging.

This case study dives into the Unity Council’s community engagement process, which centers racial equity in its goals to improve quality of life for Arlington residents.

This Cincinnati program enables renters to build financial assets while contributing to and benefitting from the management of their apartment communities.

To address its homelessness epidemic, the city of Oakland created the Community Cabins Program, an initiative that relies on the thoughtful use of data and participation from the local government, citizens, and private organizations to help combat unsheltered homelessness.

Read how ten different localities enacted emergency rental assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nearly every area in the United States faces risk from natural disasters. Storms, floods, fires, and other weather-related hazards can devastate homes and lead to displacement, housing instability, and community infrastructure loss. As climate change makes natural disasters more common and destructive, local policymakers face the growing challenge of preparing for and responding to them. This case study series explores steps localities have taken to either plan for or respond to a natural disaster.

The additional housing financed by the bond is projected to increase Durham’s affordable housing stock by at least a third, as well as create nearly 3,000 jobs in construction and operations.

Averaging data from 2000 through 2018, researchers estimated that approximately 2.7 million U.S. households are threatened with eviction each year. Eviction filings have also increased nationwide since protections related to the COVID-19 pandemic ended. This case study series explores three types of eviction prevention programs created to help improve conditions.

Through its elimination of significant barriers, Portland has taken substantial steps to facilitate ADUs.

Read how ten different localities implemented housing trust funds to support affordable housing development and activities.

Read how ten different localities implemented linkage fees to raise revenue for affordable housing.

LA voters passed Proposition HHH, which enabled City officials to issue $1.2 billion in bonds to develop permanent supportive housing units for people experiencing homelessness.

Minneapolis was the first large American city to eliminate single-family zoning.

Philadelphia RRR program offers low-interest home repair loans to local homeowners who may be excluded from traditional mortgage markets because of racial bias or credit history.

Read how ten different localities enacted emergency rental assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To address elevated blood levels of lead (EBLL) found among the city’s low-income children, the “lead law” appears to have played an important role in reducing the prevalence rate of EBLLs in Monroe County.

The city of Chapel Hill, NC implemented a form-based code to regulate land development in one area of the town known as the Blue Hill District.

Facing an escalating housing crisis, Vancouver, WA, enacted a property tax levy that is expected to raise $42 million over the course of seven years for an affordable housing fund.