As the demand for center city living in the US has grown, housing has been used to revitalize neighborhoods and contribute to the tax base of the city. I investigate the ways that change, fostered and shaped in part by federal and local housing and planning policies, affects low income neighborhoods undergoing redevelopment at the level of “community.” To study these issues I study the Washington, DC neighborhoods of Columbia Heights: In less than ten years, this neighborhood was transformed by planning and housing policies from a primarily low-income, isolated neighborhood to a truly mixed income neighborhood housing residents of varied ethnicities and income levels. Using an ethnographic approach, I interviewed residents, policy makers, agency staff, advocates, and housing developers; conducted archival research on planning documents, newspapers, blogs, neighborhood list-servs, and public hearing proceedings; and observed - both directly and as a participant – in public parks, commercial establishments, public hearings, community, tenant and organizational meetings, and at rallies and town halls. My findings suggest that the District of Columbia, neighborhood groups, housing advocates, and developers instituted some of the best practices in urban planning and housing policy, which led to a mixed income neighborhood with a focus on dense, mixed-use and multi-modal transit oriented development. However, in spite of – or perhaps because of – dramatic changes in the concentration of poverty, through the combination of the preservation of existing affordable housing and the addition of higher income new residents, low income residents’ sense of community, political power and access to amenities changed significantly. Moreover, the focus on place and physical amenities that has been a hallmark of large scale redevelopment has implicitly devalued less tangible elements of neighborhood life related to use-value, community cohesion, and culture. Further, the implied benefits of mixed income communities for low income households, combined with the narrative of urban decline and rebirth that echoes across American cities have combined to justify the social, political and physical displacement of existing residents. / text

Denna rapport ger en bild av vilka olika saker byggherrar i Sverige använder sig av idag för att öka den sociala hållbarheten. De projekt som studerats är Bygga om Dialogen i Malmö, Älvstaden i Göteborg, Vivalla i Örebro och föreningen Byggemenskap. Genom att intervjua en person från varje område studeras likheter och skillnader i hur man arbetat med den sociala hållbarheten vid byggnation. I Malmö och Örebro studeras arbetet med att öka den sociala hållbarheten vid renoveringsobjekt, hur får de hela områden som länge haft ett dåligt rykte att bli socialt hållbara där stort fokus ligger på att anställa långtidsarbetslösa. I Göteborg och i föreningen Byggemenskap fokuserar man på att föra in den sociala hållbarheten vid nybyggnation och hur vi kan bygga hyresrätter som har en lägre hyra än nybyggda lägenheter i dagsläget har. / This report gives a picture of different things a developer in Sweden can use to increase the social sustainability. The studied parts are Bygga om Dialogen in Malmö, Älvstaden in Gothenburg, Vivalla in Örebro and association Byggemenskap. By interviewing one person from each area similarities and differences were studied to compare their work with social sustainability. In Malmö and Örebro their work is to increase the social sustainability for restoration objects and how to get whole areas that have long had a bad reputation to become socially sustainable with the main focus being on hiring long-term unemployed people, in Gothenburg and within the association Byggemeskap, the focus is to increase the social sustainability at new housing estates and how we can build new tenancies with a lower rent then apartments have today.

This practicum examines the role of secondary dwelling units (secondary suites), as employed by the City of Edmonton, in the implementation of affordable housing policy. It seeks to understand the context in which the City‘s secondary dwelling unit program was developed, the various components of the program, and the impacts of the program. A review of the literature on this topic, a review of key City documents, a review of permit and grant allocation data, a key informant interview, as well as a survey of targeted neighbourhood residents were used to inform this study. Results from the study suggest that while that the program has made a significant contribution to the creation of affordable housing stock in the city and is generally supported by residents, details of the program may not be well understood by the public. Finally, possible future directions for the program and for research are suggested.

Improving access to affordable housing is often approached through efforts to increase the supply of such housing, as the need to make better use of existing resources and coordinating the efforts of housing providers is often overlooked. A central housing registry in Winnipeg would be one approach to improving coordination and better access for low-income households to affordable housing. This study explores different examples of housing registries that exist in Canada and the United States. It provides insight into the benefits and challenges of housing registries through web searches and a survey. A focus group was also used to gain insight on the local context for developing a central housing registry. This research will increase the awareness of the benefits of a central housing registry and provides recommendations on how to approach the development and implementation of a central housing registry.

This practicum examines the role of secondary dwelling units (secondary suites), as employed by the City of Edmonton, in the implementation of affordable housing policy. It seeks to understand the context in which the City‘s secondary dwelling unit program was developed, the various components of the program, and the impacts of the program. A review of the literature on this topic, a review of key City documents, a review of permit and grant allocation data, a key informant interview, as well as a survey of targeted neighbourhood residents were used to inform this study. Results from the study suggest that while that the program has made a significant contribution to the creation of affordable housing stock in the city and is generally supported by residents, details of the program may not be well understood by the public. Finally, possible future directions for the program and for research are suggested.

Improving access to affordable housing is often approached through efforts to increase the supply of such housing, as the need to make better use of existing resources and coordinating the efforts of housing providers is often overlooked. A central housing registry in Winnipeg would be one approach to improving coordination and better access for low-income households to affordable housing. This study explores different examples of housing registries that exist in Canada and the United States. It provides insight into the benefits and challenges of housing registries through web searches and a survey. A focus group was also used to gain insight on the local context for developing a central housing registry. This research will increase the awareness of the benefits of a central housing registry and provides recommendations on how to approach the development and implementation of a central housing registry.

Este trabalho verifica os aspectos positivos e negativos existentes na gestão pósocupação de cinco edifícios reabilitados para Habitação de Interesse Social (HIS) em São Paulo com mais de dois anos uso. Os prédios selecionados pertencem ao Programa de Arrendamento Residencial (PAR) da Caixa Econômica Federal (CEF) em convênio com a Prefeitura da Cidade de São Paulo (PMSP) e suas unidades habitacionais são arrendadas a famílias com renda mensal entre três e seis salários mínimos. Na pesquisa são levantadas as dificuldades existentes neste período relacionadas aos aspectos sociais e econômicos dos moradores, assim como aos aspectos físicos e arquitetônicos do edifício. A metodologia utilizada inclui levantamento bibliográfico, entrevistas com os agentes responsáveis pela execução do programa habitacional e com os moradores dos edifícios. Após análise dos principais fatos que caracterizam a gestão pós-ocupação dos prédios, são apontadas as possíveis razões para as dificuldades encontradas na gestão. Destaca-se a falta de um trabalho social contínuo que monitore as relações sociais existentes no condomínio e que garanta a permanência da população no programa. Como resultado final do estudo são elencadas algumas alternativas para buscar a minimização dos problemas. / This work verifies the positive and negative aspects that exist in the post-occupancy management of five buildings that have been renovated for use as affordable housing in São Paulo, and have been in use for more than two years. The selected buildings are part of the Programa de Arrendamento Residencial (PAR) (Residential Rental Program) of the Caixa Econômica Federal (CEF) savings bank, in partnership with the São Paulo City Hall (PMSP), and the residential units are rented to families with a monthly income of three to six minimum salaries. The research investigates the difficulties that exist in this period, in relation to the residents social and economic aspects, as well as the physical and architectural aspects of the building. The methodology used includes a bibliographic review, interviews with the agents responsible for carrying out the residential program, and residents of the buildings. After analyzing the main facts which characterize the post-occupancy management of the buildings, possible reasons for the difficulties experienced in the management are indicated. The need is highlighted, for a continual social work, to monitor the existing social relations in the building and ensure that the population stays in the program. As the final result of the study, some alternatives are listed aimed at minimizing the problems.

Affordable housing is recognized as a problem in many localities throughout the United States. Local governments have the power to influence housing affordability through land use policies. Land use tools exist to address affordable housing.. However, these tools are primarily used to address other environmental, economic, and social issues. When implemented to serve other land use objectives, these tools can have a negative impact on affordable housing. This paper will describe the link between land use regulations and affordable housing, suggest the land use tools necessary to encourage affordable housing from a state growth management perspective, and examine how California, Oregon, and the Portland Metropolitan Region have utilized the tools in their affordable housing policies. Finally, this paper applies the lessons learned from the cases to recommend further action to assist in the integration of land use tools as a means of advancing affordable housing goals. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

No description available.

The development of ‘Affordable housing’ has become an urgent and important topic of discussion in China. Unlike in western countries where the social welfare system has been set up for many years and the public housing system also is mature, in most of Asian countries, the social welfare systems are still weak in relation to their large amount of low-income populations. The gap between rich and poor is considerable large, and is still increasing; many people with low-income could not afford their own houses since the minimum down-payment and the entry-requirement of real estate market are both increasingly high; the ‘Affordable housing’ is therefore very difficult to be developed appropriately under this circumstances. The thesis provides an overview of the development of ‘affordable housing’ around the world, and a brief introduction of the relevant situation in China, in order to find out some applicable policy suggestions for the development of Guangzhou city’s affordable housing market from such previous experiences. Public housing system in U.S. and Sweden has a strength foundation for many decades, while China is a developing country with the largest population in the world, in order to solve the housing problem, Chinese government start to implement public housing policies and establish the ‘public housing system with Chinese style’. The Guangzhou affordable housing policies are based on the Chinese style public housing system, given the similar culture background and economy foundation, Singapore and Hong Kong’s public housing development process has more value for Guangzhou City Government to learn from. Results from questionnaire and analysis are shown for the current housing statu in Guangzhou City, which reflect some realistic housing problems and it takes a long term for householder to achieve down payment and ‘full house ownership’.