Housing and the Urban Plan:
Taking Stock of Housing in Your
Community
An Urban Plan looks into many different aspects of the local housing
situation so that the plan can recommend ways for the community
to maintain and develop the right amount and right types of housing
Keeping up with demand:
Is there enough housing?
One of the basic questions that plans as about the communitys housing situation is whether the community has enough housing to
keep up with demand.
- Current Housing Supplythe Total amount of housing that is currently
available in the community
- Future Housing Supplythe anticipated change in the total size of the
communitys population
Age
Income
Lifestyle preferences
What Kinds of Housing are
available?
1. Different types of housing
Different Types of housing
that are present in the
community
What Kinds of Housing are
available?
2. A mix of owner and renter-occupied
housing
What Kinds of Housing are
available?
3. Housing Costs
A good understanding of the costs of housing in the
community can be used to help plan for a mix of housing
that reflects the income characteristics of the community.
Urban Plans to recommend land use regulations, zoning, other policies
that encourage the development of the right mix of housing
Urban planners Real Estate agents Building developers Local Housing Markets
U.S. Census Property tax Building permit data Property sales data Surveys of housing in specific neighborhoods
This Old House: Housing
Maintenance
Leaky roofs
Peeling paint
Broken windows
Age of Housing
50 years old
Century and more
Communities with significant amounts of older housing tend
to have greater needs for maintenance and upkeep.
Deficient Housing Conditions
Records of building code violations
- can help identity houses that are in poor condition and
neighborhoods where there are significant numbers of poor-
condition houses
Observational surveys or windshield surveys to Assess
housing conditions in specific neighborhoods or districts
Ability of the population to
maintain their housingTime
Money
Effort
may require assistance in maintaining the housing stock.
This includes low income and elderly household.
Keeping an eye directly on housing conditions,
understanding the underlying demographic and
economic characteristics of the community can help
identify households and neighborhoods.
Location, location, location: Is
housing close to where people
work and shop?
Work
Shop
Go to school
Helps urban planners identify future location for new housing or other
land uses, as well as future locations for new housing or other land
uses, as well as future improvements to the transportation system.
Location, location, location: Is
housing close to where people
work and shop?
Housing that is located near other places that people use can provide both
increased convenience for households and have a positive impact on the
environment reducing the amount of travel required to get between places.
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