Cityscape Directs its Attention to Rental Housing Policy

Cityscape Directs its Attention to Rental Housing Policy

A new issue of Cityscape features a symposium that examines rental housing policy in the United States from a variety of forward-looking perspectives. Collectively, guest editors Vicki Been and Ingrid Gould Ellen note, the articles attest to why rental housing is important and why a strong rental housing market is vital to the economy.

Edward Glaeser argues that rental housing is environmentally sustainable and that federal incentives could encourage localities to make land use regulations friendlier to multifamily rental housing. Richard Green suggests that federal rental subsidies might be fairer in an environment of federal benefits for homeowners and local zoning restrictions that are not especially friendly to renters. Denise DiPasquale revisits federal housing policy in light of market risks to homeowners and renters, seeing an opportunity to move towards an unbiased national housing policy in terms of owning and renting. Todd Sinai provides a framework for evaluating and weighing the risks of renting or owning and suggests policies that would mitigate the risks of renting, such as encouraging lengthier term leases. Brendan O’Flaherty makes a case for policy that provides a safety net for renters experiencing financial hardship and offers low-income housing assistance that rewards good neighborhood choices. John Quigley explores the rationale for and the means of delivering renter assistance programs, suggesting how they might be reframed and financed. Invited to complement the symposium with their work, Rob Collinson provides a nuanced picture of housing trends and needs using data on rental housing market dynamics at national and metropolitan levels and Hugo Priemus offers a perspective on rental housing policy in the U.S. and the Netherlands.

The issue also features research by Ronald Wilson, “Visualizing Racial Segregation Differently—Exploring Changing Patterns from the Effect of Underlying Geographic Distributions”; by Brian Mikelbank and Charlie Post, “Separating the Good From the Bad From the Ugly: Indicators for Housing Market Analysis”; and by Michael Hollar, “Regulatory Impact Analysis: Emergency Homeowners’ Loan Program.”