Building Affordable Futures: Regulation, Risk, and Reform

Implementing need-responsive regulations will be central to realizing more quality, resilient, and affordable housing to advance climate and anti-poverty policy. Policy responses that inadequately address how regulation pushes households seeking more affordable housing to the outer edges of metropolitan areas contributes to sprawl, which risks long commutes and their attendant high greenhouse gas emissions.

This mixed-methods “Building Affordable Climate-Resilient Futures” research project will examine what kinds of reform are likely to increase climate-resilient affordable housing supply where it is needed and for those who most need it.

This project will assess a series of case studies that allow for modeling the effects (including costs and benefits) of several reform scenarios on the environment and populations of interest (primarily low- and middle-income households). Insights drawn from the work may inform best practice approaches to housing policy at the local and state levels.

The project brings together advanced researchers and faculty with expertise in Architecture, Engineering, Law, and Urban and Environmental Planning.