Affordable but Marginalized

Abstract

Problem, research strategy and findings Mobile home parks (MHPs) are a major source of unsubsidized affordable housing in the United States but are poorly understood in planning research and practice. Here we present findings of one of the first and most comprehensive studies of MHPs in a U.S. metropolitan area. We located and spatially analyzed MHPs in the Houston (TX) metropolitan statistical area, comparing the sociodemographics, built environment, and environmental exposure of census block groups with higher shares of MHP land to block groups with fewer or no parks. We examined the relationship between land use regulations and the location of MHPs by coding government documents for the 132 jurisdictions in the metropolitan statistical area. We found that MHPs are an important component of the regional housing system and are located in areas with more diverse populations, lower socioeconomic status, and larger families. MHPs are concentrated in moderately urbanized areas relatively close to the central business district with lower housing costs and moderate job opportunities. They are clustered near other MHPs in areas with less access to transportation and urban amenities and greater exposure to environmental hazards. We demonstrate that the location of MHPs is associated with exclusionary land use regulations, which indicates future parks will likely be in areas with significant inequalities. Takeaways for practice MHPs are difficult to analyze because they are not identified in typical sources of planning data like the U.S. Census. Planning departments should use alternative methods, like those described in our study, to map and plan for MHPs. Most major cities and metropolitan regions are facing an affordable housing crisis, and the anti-MHP regulatory stance we observed in our study is concerning for regional equity. The concentration of MHPs in areas with significant environmental hazards indicates that planning actions are likely necessary to protect these residents from future flood events.