Call For Papers

Cityscape Symposium on Immigration and Housing Markets

Submission Timeline:
Proposal Deadline: September 15, 2025
Full Manuscript Submission Deadline: January 1, 2026
Publication: July 2026

Call for Papers: Immigration and U.S. Housing Markets Symposium

In 2026, Cityscape will publish a symposium of articles exploring the effects of immigration on U.S. housing markets. This symposium aims to provide empirical insights into how immigration influences key aspects of housing, including demand, supply, prices, and homelessness. We invite high-quality, original research that examines these relationships and their implications for housing policy and urban planning.

Areas of Interest

We are particularly interested in studies that address the following topics:

• The impact of immigration on rents and home prices, especially for lower- and middle-income Americans.
• How immigration's impact on housing prices affects native fertility rates.
• The share of foreign-born individuals among the homeless population.
• The potential effects on housing prices if immigration were reduced.
• Identification of specific housing markets (locations or market segments) most affected by immigration.

Research Focus

Submissions should focus on establishing a causal relationship between immigration and the housing market outcomes listed above. We seek research that employs data-driven analysis, leveraging variation in immigration levels across time (e.g., historical trends, policy changes) and geography (e.g., states, metropolitan areas, or neighborhoods). Studies may use methods such as difference-in-differences, instrumental variables, or other empirical techniques that isolate the effects of immigration from confounding factors.

Papers may come from any discipline but must be written clearly to engage a multidisciplinary audience. We encourage submissions that avoid excessive technical jargon and provide accessible insights for readers from diverse fields.

Submission Requirements

To be considered for the symposium, authors must submit a proposal by September 15, 2025. The proposal should include:

• A 250-word abstract summarizing the research question, methodology, and key findings.
• A one-page initial paper outline detailing the structure and main arguments of the paper.

Proposals should be submitted to the guest editor, Dr. Steven Camarota (sac@cis.org) and Cityscape@hud.gov. Authors will be notified by September 22, 2025, if their proposal has been selected for full manuscript submission.

Additional Information

Originality: Full manuscripts must be original work not previously published elsewhere.

Length: Final papers should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words, including references.

Review Process: All submissions will undergo peer review to ensure quality and relevance. Papers deemed appropriate for the symposium may require revision and resubmission before a final decision on publication is made.

Full Manuscript Deadline: Selected authors must submit their full manuscripts by January 1, 2026.

This symposium offers an opportunity to contribute to a critical discussion on immigration's role in shaping U.S. housing markets, with potential implications for housing affordability, urban development, and immigration policy.

Call for Peer Reviewers

We are also seeking peer reviewers for this symposium. If you are interested in serving as a reviewer, please contact us at Cityscape@hud.gov and provide a current CV so that we can match you with appropriate papers.

About Cityscape

Cityscape is published three times a year by the Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Its goal is to bring high-quality original research on housing and community development issues to scholars, government officials, and practitioners.