This study examines the effects of homeownership, tenancy, and vacancy on the preservation of historic housing stock. Using six blocks within the Emily Kimbrough Historic District as my study area, I utilized city directories and deed transfers to determine the number of housing units each year as well as the percentages of ownership, tenancy, and vacancy for each home. I developed a rating system to assess the current condition of each home and completed statistical analysis of the association between ownership rates and current condition. The results of the study are a repeatable methodology for critically examining homeownership. The findings defy popular assumptions of the benefits of homeownership, showing no association between homeownership and present housing condition. The methodology of this study is useful in determining whether city governments should establish homeownership programs as a viable preservation strategy. / Department of Architecture

This thesis identifies the housing affordability in Muncie metropolitan areas through the interaction of the major housing market components, of supply and demand for housing units. The purpose of this work has been the investigation of the historical housing performance that Muncie has experienced from 1970 through 1990, in order to determine whether housing affordability problem exists in Muncie and how it has been developed over the study period. Two major approaches are used, cross-sectional and cohort analysis, to examine the relationships among several variables. The main variables are population, households , and housing characteristics which represent the demand and supply of housing stock.The findings from this study have determined that the housing affordability problem in Muncie has escalated more than the other areas within Delaware County since 1970. The major causes of accelerating affordability problem were the real decline of family incomes and the increase of the numbers of low-income populaion, families and households. The lack of employment opportunities, and low payroll were underlying the decline of real income. The decline in number of mortgages was also one of the causes of the afforadability problem over the course of the study period. / Department of Urban Planning