Affordable Housing Preservation

Affordable Housing Preservation in Washington, DC uses the case of Washington, DC to examine the past, present, and future of subsidized and unsubsidized affordable housing through the lenses of history, governance, and affordable housing policy and planning. Affordable housing policy in the US has often been focused at the federal level where the laws and funding to build new affordable housing historically have been determined. However, as federal housing subsidies from the 1960s expire and federal funding continues to decline, local governments, tenants and advocates face the difficult challenge of trying to retain affordability amid increasing demand for housing in many American cities. Now, instead of amassing land, financing and sponsors, affordable housing stakeholders must understand the existing resident needs and have access to the market for affordable housing. Arguing for preservation as a way of acknowledging a basic right to the city, this book examines the ways that the broad range of stakeholders engage at the building and city levels. This book identifies the underlying challenges that enable or constrain preservation to demonstrate that effective preservation requires long-term relationships that engage residents, build trust and demonstrate a willingness to share power among residents, advocates and the government. It is of great interest to academics and students as well as policy makers and practitioners internationally in the fields of housing studies and policy, urban studies, social policy, sociology and political economy.

Evaluates the MacArthur Foundation s Window of Opportunity, a 20-year philanthropic initiative begun in 2000 that has allocated $187 million to preserve privately owned affordable rental housing."

From Los Angeles to Boston and Chicago to Miami, US cities are struggling to address the twin crises of high housing costs and household instability. Debates over the appropriate course of action have been defined by two poles: building more housing or enacting stronger tenant protections. These options are often treated as mutually exclusive, with support for one implying opposition to the other. Shane Phillips believes that effectively tackling the housing crisis requires that cities support both tenant protections and housing abundance. He offers readers more than 50 policy recommendations, beginning with a set of principles and general recommendations that should apply to all housing policy. The remaining recommendations are organized by what he calls the Three S’s of Supply, Stability, and Subsidy. Phillips makes a moral and economic case for why each is essential and recommendations for making them work together. There is no single solution to the housing crisis—it will require a comprehensive approach backed by strong, diverse coalitions. The Affordable City is an essential tool for professionals and advocates working to improve affordability and increase community resilience through local action.

What is a decent home? Does it simply provide shelter from the elements? Is it affordable enough that you can buy the other necessities of life? Does it connect you to a community with adequate social and economic resources? Noted housing expert Alan Mallach turns his decades of experience to these questions in "A Decent Home". Mallach's nuanced analysis of housing issues critical to communities across the country will help planners evaluate the housing situation in their own communities and formulate specific plans to address a variety of housing problems. The book is both a practical step-by-step guide to developing affordable housing and a sophisticated introduction to housing policy. Chapters address design, site selection, project approval, financing, and the history of housing policy in the United States. Planners will find useful information about inclusionary and exclusionary zoning, affordable housing preservation, and the risks and rewards of affordable-home-ownership programs. Mallach also connects the dots among regional economic competitiveness, quality of life, community revitalization, and affordable housing.