Small-Town Housing Needs: Resource Inefficiencies and Urban Bias in the United States

Abstract

An urban bias is evident in policies and programs addressing housing and community development issues in the U.S. Analysis of American Housing Survey data comparing non-metropolitan housing conditions to central city and suburban housing conditions indicates a higher incidence of structural deficiencies combined with low housing values, suggesting that non-metropolitan housing offers particular challenges. To explore the obstacles faced by organizations attempting to take up these challenges, this paper offers a case study of local housing needs and issues in the Brazos Valley of Texas. It was found that poor housing conditions, high vacancy rates, and stagnant or declining home values plague large proportions of small-town populations. In addition, it was found that because funding mechanisms are designed to serve urban populations, local organizations struggle to offer a product that meets the needs of lower-income households in non-metropolitan areas.