Urban and Housing

Affordable Housing

By: George Krupkin

Published: Spring 2024

Abstract:聽The escalating challenge of finding affordable housing in Chicago is a pressing issue made worse by a long history of poor policy decisions and recent economic shifts. Chicago now faces an extreme lack of affordable housing options that continues to harm the Black and brown working class at disproportionate rates. This policy brief explores the problem’s depth, history, current policy context, and proposes alternative policy options to address the critical shortage of affordable housing.

 

By: Lily Andresen-Simmons

笔耻产濒颈蝉丑别诲:听Spring 2026

Abstract: This policy brief analyzes how local housing policy shapes access to homeownership, wealth accumulation, and neighborhood stability, with a focus on local municipalities. It argues that housing systems are not neutral markets but structures that reproduce unequal access to property and contribute to long-term racial and economic disparities. Despite widespread use of tools like down-payment聽assistance聽and inclusionary zoning, persistent gaps in homeownership and ongoing displacement pressures suggest that current policy approaches are insufficient.

The brief evaluates three policy alternatives: the status quo, expanded homeownership access programs, and community land trusts (CLTs) with anti-displacement protections. These are assessed using criteria聽of聽effectiveness, net cost, equity, and sustainability. While short-term access programs reduce entry barriers, they do not ensure long-term affordability or prevent displacement. CLT-based approaches perform most strongly overall by embedding permanent affordability and stabilizing communities across time.

The brief recommends a phased strategy centered on community land trusts, supplemented by targeted ownership-access programs and anti-displacement measures. This approach balances immediate improvements in access with long-term structural change, offering a more durable pathway toward聽equitable聽homeownership and community stability.

Zoning

By: Michael Johns and Kate McElroy

Published: Fall 2024

Abstract:聽This policy memo examines zoning as a tool for addressing housing affordability and urban development challenges, with a focus on Alamance County, North Carolina. Zoning regulations聽classify land for residential, commercial, or industrial use, enabling local governments to guide growth and development. The effects of zoning vary significantly based on how it is implemented, influencing property values, housing costs, and patterns of urban expansion. Alamance County, with a high percentage of single-family homes, exemplifies broader trends of limited multifamily housing options, contributing to rising costs and reduced availability of affordable homes.Innovative zoning strategies such as mixed-use zoning, high-density housing, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) offer potential solutions. These approaches can help reduce suburban sprawl, improve access to infrastructure, and expand the range of housing types available. Research highlights that restrictive zoning often increases housing costs by limiting supply, disproportionately affecting low-income households. High-density zoning, while promising, does not always achieve affordability goals.The challenges associated with zoning require many approaches that account for local conditions. Smart growth principles, which advocate for mixed land use and compact development, provide a framework for addressing housing insecurity. By implementing diverse zoning strategies and promoting sustainable community design, municipalities can create equitable solutions to housing and development issues.