Oct. 19, 2023
This story is part of the "Tech Tools" series, created in collaboration with APA's Technology Division. From climate resilience to mobility to tools that help plan for uncertainty, we highlight topical datasets, applications, and other tools that help planners understand — and better plan for — their communities.
Today's planner is working in a global housing crisis across the income spectrum. The American dream of home ownership has a complex history for many people and achieving it is becoming harder nationally. Rental homes are also increasingly unaffordable, which is generally defined as housing (including utilities) that costs an occupant more than 30 percent of their gross income. Renters also face reduced access to neighborhoods with housing they can afford, according to the National Equity Atlas, which found that 81 of the 100 most populous regions in the U.S. saw a decline in affordability between 2013 and 2019.
Technology's role in affordable housing
Technology can be a potential disruptor, as planners answer the call to action for equitable growth, attainable housing, and affordable living. This generational transformation will require planners to cultivate partnerships with nonprofit organizations (like Housing Connector), designers, builders, policy makers, engagement specialists, community members, and others to help change how we design, build, and deliver — through tools that help us better analyze and visualize — better and more equitable affordable housing solutions.
Read on to explore how technology is augmenting the current and future trends of affordable housing.
Image courtesy of HUD Geospatial Data Storefront.
HUD Geospatial Data Storefront
Data | Visualizer
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) curates the Geospatial Data Storefront, a resource for users interested in understanding and using housing and urban development data. A gateway to HUD's authoritative geospatial data reserves, it offers neighborhood-level indices that gauge facets of opportunity, which encompass access to education, employment, and transportation.
The portal includes frequently requested datasets, including locations of public housing developments, Rental Assistance Demonstration minority concentrations, Community Planning and Development maps, the Tribal Directory Assessment Tool, the Choice Neighborhoods Mapping tool, and American Community Survey Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy data. For advanced data practitioners and those with GIS skills, there are data dictionaries and code examples illustrating the use of APIs (application programming interfaces) to integrate HUD data into other applications. Nontechnical users can explore an array of web-based GIS applications — each with training materials and documentation — to see HUD's investments within a chosen city, county, metropolitan area, state, or congressional district.
Cost: Free
Resource formats: Geospatial data sets, mapping tools, APIs
Coding skills required: No
Image courtesy of PolicyMap.
PolicyMap
Data | Visualizer
PolicyMap is a data warehouse and analytics tool with over 50,000 indicators. This versatile tool provides data and information sets, such as median rent, income levels, housing cost burden, and demographics, to address affordable housing challenges and support various stakeholders in the planning process. For policy makers, researchers, and community organizations, PolicyMap aids in identifying areas with pressing affordable housing needs, facilitating targeted interventions, and making informed policy decisions. Developers and investors can use it to gain insights into housing market trends and identify where affordable projects are viable. Local governments can use it to pinpoint neighborhoods requiring intervention and initiatives. PolicyMap supports equity analyses by overlaying housing data with socioeconomic indicators using resources such as the Housing Attainability Index. It also aids in monitoring policy impacts and serves as a valuable resource for research and community engagement in affordable housing planning.
Cost: Free; enterprise licensing available
Resource formats: Geospatial data, informational dashboards
Coding skills required: No
Image courtesy of Balancing Act.
Balancing Act
Engagement | Visualizer
Public engagement is one of the toughest challenges communities, planners, and public officials face as they work to meet the demand for new housing. With Balancing Act, a simulation-based public engagement tool, residents become catalysts of change, actively participating in the decision-making process to become more informed and empowered stakeholders. This allows a more engaged exploration of strategies and solutions to meet the defined housing targets set by city officials. A defining feature of this tool is its ability to adapt to the unique requirements of a community. A mobile-friendly tool, it also features virtual face-to-face interactions with facilitators and streamlines informed engagement and transformative action in the pursuit of equitable and accessible housing solutions.
Cost: Paid
Resource formats: Simulations, scenarios, visualizations, reports
Coding skills required: No
Image courtesy of ArcGIS Urban.
ArcGIS Urban
Engagement | Visualizer
Esri's ArcGIS Urban empowers planners, architects, and city officials to make informed development and land-use decisions. Its features include scenario planning, zoning and land-use analysis, 2-D and 3-D visualizations, and real-time collaboration with individual or group stakeholders. ArcGIS Urban integrates with Esri's suite of products, various data sources, and third-party applications. For example, it facilitates the creation, tracking, and review of development projects through a city digital twin. This integration incorporates critical aspects like building information modeling (BIM) and 3-D data, streamlining project reviews and fostering a shared understanding of development guidelines. Designed with planners in mind, ArcGIS Urban simplifies the creation, editing, and management of land-use and zoning plans within an interactive, 3-D environment.
Cost: Paid (after free trial)
Resource formats: Geospatial data, tabular data, 3-D models, web services, computer-aided design (CAD) data, BIM data
Coding skills required: No
Courtesy of National Housing Preservation Database.
National Housing Preservation Database
Data | Toolkit
The National Housing Preservation Database (NHPD) is a curated resource jointly created by the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation and the National Low Income Housing Coalition, offering a detailed inventory of federally assisted rental housing in the U.S. This database empowers planners, policy makers, and affordable housing advocates, providing them with essential information to identify and protect public and affordable housing within their communities. NHPD aggregates data from HUD and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, such as contract expiration dates, loan maturity dates, recent physical inspection scores, unit counts, ownership details, and subsidy characteristics from 10 federally subsidized programs. Users can download the entire dataset or a filtered subset tailored to specific geographic areas, from cities to states. Additionally, NHPD offers Housing Preservation Toolkits that can be customized for individual communities. Other NHPD resources include local partner databases, reports, advocate guides, and webinars.
Cost: Free (registration and Esri licensing may be needed)
Resource formats: Geospatial data, excel, reports, toolkits
Coding skills required: No
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