High Housing Costs Research Articles

Health Insurance Coverage Changes Under the Affordable Care Act Among High Housing Cost Households, 2010-18.

This study examines the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on health insurance coverage among rent-burdened households-those spending more than 30% of their income on rent-and non-rent-burdened households. Using data from American Community Survey, we find that Medicaid take-up rate increased 8.88 percentage points (pp) among rent-burdened households and 7.54 pp among non-rent-burdened households in expansion states. Conditional on household income and demographic characteristics, rent-burdened households exhibit a 1.5 pp higher likelihood of Medicaid enrollment, with an additional decline of 0.7 pp in employer-sponsored insurance and 1.0 pp in directly purchased insurance enrollment. These effects were more pronounced among individuals aged over 26 and those in states without state-run exchanges. The findings show the importance of tailored Medicaid policies to assist households facing housing burdens, especially for those ineligible for housing vouchers.

THE SPATIAL LINKAGES BETWEEN INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND SECURITY: THE EMPIRICAL FINDINGS FROM TURKEY HOSTING MOST REFUGEE IN THE WORLD

The increasing international migration in the world, especially due to the conflict, have potential negative impacts in immigrant countries. An increase in crime rates caused by unemployed immigrants who cannot meet their food and housing needs is one of them. Accordingly, the study investigates the effects of international immigrants, whose numbers reached about 3,9 million in Turkey, on violent and financial crime rates. The Spatial Error Panel Model with Fixed Effects covering Turkey’s 26 NUTS-II regions and 2016-2019 period indicate that there are positive and statistically significant relationships between immigrants and these crime rates. However, the negative impacts of international migration on security are mainly observed in financial crimes rather than violent crimes. Furthermore, the most important determinants of these crimes are high food and housing costs. And also, there is a negative relationship between uneducated employment and financial crimes rather than violent crimes. On the other hand, the findings indicate that regions have spatial dependency positively in terms of violent crimes. It means that as average violent crimes increase in the neighbors of a region, the violent crimes of that region also increase.

Abstract A054 Liver cancer mortality by structural disadvantage and race: An analysis of U.S. area-level factors

Abstract Introduction: Racial/ethnic and sex disparities in liver cancer (LC) mortality are well established; yet little is known about the contributions of county-level social risks on these disparities. Methods: We used U.S. national death certificate data from the National Center for Health Statistics (2018-2022) for LC mortality. County-level estimates of income inequality (ratio of household income at the 80th and 20th percentile), and median household income were obtained using the American Community Survey. Severe housing problems (percentage of households with 1 of 4 housing problems: overcrowding, high housing costs, lack of kitchen facilities, or lack of plumbing facilities) were abstracted from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Census Bureau. We estimated age-adjusted mortality rates (MR) and MR rate ratios (aRR) across metrics of county-level social risk grouped in quartiles overall and by race/ethnicity. Results: There were 101,088 liver cancer (LC) deaths from 2018-2022 (MR=6.16 per 100,000). Areas of highest county-level income inequality had 31% higher LC mortality compared to areas within the lowest quartile (aRR=1.31). LC MRs were 45% higher in counties with the lowest vs. highest median household income (aRR=1.45). Men and women in the highest quartile of severe housing problems had 29% and 22% higher LC MR (aRR=1.29 and 1.22, respectively), than those in the lowest quartiles. Men and women in the lowest quartile of median household income had 43% and 49% higher LC mortality than those in the highest median income quartiles (aRR=1.43 and 1.49, respectively). Within the highest quartile of income inequality, American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) persons had the highest LC mortality rates (MR=7.07), followed by Hispanic (MR=6.75), Black (MR=6.48), and Asian (MR=5.83) individuals. Similarly, in the highest quartile of severe housing problems, AI/AN persons had the highest LC mortality rate (MR 7.74), while Hispanic persons had 58% higher MR (MR 7.01), followed by Black (MR=6.19), Asian (MR=5.85) and White (MR=4.07) individuals. In the lowest median household income quartile, compared to White persons (MR=5.91), AI/AN persons had the highest MR (MR=8.86), and Hispanic persons had a 70% increase in mortality (MR=8.48). Among counties with the highest income inequality, compared to White persons (aRR=1.15), Black persons had an 80% increase in mortality (aRR=1.43). For those in the most concentrated quartile of severe housing problems, compared to White persons (aRR=1.07), AI/AN persons had an 80% increase in mortality (MR=1.34).Conclusion: All county-level indicators of highest social risk were associated with greater liver cancer mortality, but do not appear to fully account for racial and ethnic disparities in mortality. Therefore, place- based interventions are needed to address the role of county-level economic attributes in liver cancer mortality disparities. Citation Format: Jennifer K. McGee-Avila, Wayne R. Lawrence, Natalie Joe, Cameron B. Haas, Meredith S Shiels. Liver cancer mortality by structural disadvantage and race: An analysis of U.S. area-level factors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A054.

Exploring the Impacts of Transit-Oriented Development Housing Stock and Built Environments on Housing Costs in Twenty-Six U.S. Metropolitan Areas

There is general agreement that high housing costs in transit-oriented developments (TODs) largely stem from housing supply shortages. However, the debate persists on whether supply-side efforts could reduce housing costs in TODs. This paper contributes to this debate by examining the impacts of TOD housing stock and built environments on housing costs. The block groups of twenty-six U.S. metropolitan areas were classified into six categories based on proximity to rail, housing density, and walkability. The studied metropolitan areas were grouped into three clusters based on housing and transit characteristics. Results from multilevel regressions partly support supply-side efforts, including “missing-middle” housing, showing that in two of the clusters, a larger share of metropolitan TOD housing units is associated with lower TOD rents. However, the results also show the limits of supply-side efforts to lower costs in metropolitan areas where housing in TODs is more expensive than the metropolitan average.

Gender and pathways to housing: in search of affordable and safe rental housing in a mid-sized Canadian city (Kelowna, B.C.)

ABSTRACT Housing is not merely a commodity but a fundamental human right and crucial for a good quality of life. In Kelowna, B.C., a city known for its high housing costs, women encounter significant obstacles in securing affordable rental housing. This study involving 25 women renting in Kelowna sheds light on their preferences, concerns, and strategies for navigating this challenging housing market. The research highlights that women prioritize rental units that are not only affordable but also safe and well-located. Key barriers identified include the high cost of housing, scarcity of affordable rental options in desirable neighborhoods, inadequate safety features in rental units, and discrimination based on income sources. Data was gathered through self-administered questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with ten key informants, revealing pervasive challenges and suggesting policy recommendations. These insights contribute to understanding the specific hurdles women face in securing affordable, suitable and adequate rental housing in mid-sized Canadian cities like Kelowna. Addressing these barriers requires multifaceted solutions, including increasing affordable housing options, improving safety standards, and policies that combat income-based discrimination. By implementing these measures, Kelowna can enhance housing accessibility and quality of life for all residents, particularly women struggling in the rental market.

Gender Imbalance in the Marriage Market and Housing Demand: Evidence from China

Gender imbalance and high housing costs are some of the important issues currently facing China, and they are also not in line with the UN’s SDGs, particularly SDG 5, Gender Equality, and SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities. This research examines the influence of gender disparities within the matrimonial arena on housing demand. Data from the 2015 and 2017 editions of the China Household Finance Survey were utilized in this work. The cultural preference for male offspring, coupled with the one-child policy introduced by the Chinese government in 1978, has contributed to the escalating gender ratio in the country. In light of this gender imbalance, it is posited that Chinese families with unmarried male children may endeavor to bolster their sons’ desirability in the marriage market by investing in real estate. The study findings reveal that households with at least one son are more inclined to purchase additional or more spacious residences. This finding substantiates the notion that gender imbalance could be a contributing factor in the escalation of housing prices.

Educational migration of youth: status, prospects

This article examines the issue of educational migration of youth in Kazakhstan in conditions of fierce competition. As a result of the research, it was revealed that educational migration in Kazakhstan is becoming a trend of the present time, which has its pros and cons, in particular: obtaining a diploma from a well-known foreign university is prestigious, helps in the growth of personal success, but also has a great threat - this is very It is difficult to name the exact number of people who returned from abroad after training. These figures were not found by us, which requires studying the state and prospects of educational migration. In the process of the study it was found that among Kazakh students the migration destinations to the Czech Republic, Russia, Turkey and China are in the greatest demand and availability. At the same time, it is worth noting that such countries as Japan, the USA, South Korea, the UK and Singapore also attract attention, but access to these states is limited. The article touches upon the topic of public policy in the field of educational migration and considers the impact of public policy in the education system through SWOT analysis. Factors that confirm that the Republic of Kazakhstan is a student-supplying country to other EAEU countries and at the same time receives students from Uzbekistan, India and Russia are described. The scientific research was based on the use of information base, including open sources of specialised databases of normative and legal acts, as well as official web resources of the Scopus Preview database, which showed and existing problems concerning the adaptation of students, the most relevant of them: the impossibility of legal employment, the high cost of housing and poor living conditions. To reduce the burden on the state, focus on creating opportunities for youth self-realization and utilizing their potential for regional development.

Are the in-work poor more disadvantaged in urban areas? An analysis of housing affordability in Italy

In Europe, there is growing empirical evidence on the difficulties workers face in making ends meet. High housing costs may compound the picture. This study investigates the housing affordability problems of workers’ households. Drawing on 2019 EU-SILC cross-sectional data for Italy, it examines the extent to which working households’ income results in housing affordability problems, and the differences between cities and rural areas. It considers three groups: in-work poor, low-middle, and high-income households. Results confirm the relevance of the income level as in-work poor households face the lowest housing costs but the highest housing affordability problems. In terms of territorial differences, results show a widespread vulnerability of the in-work poor, especially for tenants: these households have considerable difficulties in coping with housing costs in both urban and rural areas, despite rents being higher in cities. In contrast, the place of living assumes more relevance for low-middle-income households: for them, renting in cities rather than in rural areas is substantially riskier.

Choice or Constraint? A Locally Tailored Assessment of Housing and Transportation Costs in Central Texas

Transportation costs are a key component of an overall household budget. These costs are determined in part by residential location—housing and transportation costs are inextricably linked. The burden of high housing and transportation costs must be understood in context. High costs on their own are not necessarily a problem if a household freely chooses their location. Although several national-level tools (including the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s H+T Index and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Location Affordability Index) are now available to improve transparency about combined housing and transportation costs, their ability to reflect local conditions and to understand relative burdens is limited. In this paper, we create a combined housing and transportation cost index tailored to the realities of the Austin metropolitan area in Central Texas, with most data sources coming from state and local government or pertinent transportation agencies. We identify households allocating large shares of their budgets to housing and transportation costs and differentiate between those that have the ability to mode switch to reduce costs in principle and those that do not. Black and Hispanic/Latino households were disproportionately burdened by high costs. But across the entire population, overall cost burdens were low. This result means that fostering nonautomobile travel or denser residential living will be challenging using cost arguments alone.

Sociodemographic factors impacting the spatial distribution of private dental clinics in major cities of Peoples Republic of China

ObjectivesInvestigate the geographical distribution of private dental practices in major Chinese cities and analyze the variables influencing this distribution. MethodsThis study used Python to extract various types of Point of Interest (POI) data spanning from 2016 to 2022 from the AutoNavi map. A 1km*1km grid was constructed to establish the study sample. Additional spatial pattern data, including nighttime lighting, population, and air quality data, were integrated into this grid. Global Moran's I index was used to analyze the spatial autocorrelation. The spatial lag model was used to explore the influencing factors of private dental practice distribution. ResultsThis study reveals a specific clustering pattern for private dental practices in major Chinese cities. The primary influencing factors include nighttime lights, population density, and housing prices, suggesting that dental practices are typically concentrated in highly developed regions with dense populations and high housing costs. Additionally, we discovered that patterns vary across different metropolises, with the most pronounced clustering patterns and substantial inequalities found in the most developed areas. ConclusionsThis study establishes that factors such as regional development and population density positively correlate with private dental practice. Additionally, it reveals a strong mutual correlation in the clustering of dental practices, which does not show a substantial correlation with public resources. Finally, it suggests that the spatial heterogeneity pattern implies a rising necessity to tackle inequality issues within urban areas as economic development progresses.

Distributional Impacts of Carbon Pricing on Accessibility Across Space and Incomes

Urban transport is a major driver of global CO2 emissions, and, without strong mitigation strategies, its contribution is likely to increase with the rapid urbanization occurring in developing countries. There is a growing consensus on the fundamental role of carbon pricing for reducing CO2 emissions. However, carbon pricing policies are frequently criticized and resisted for having adverse distributional impacts, especially when they impact transit services, the cheapest motorized transport means. Policies affecting transport costs have impacts on household well-being. In the short term, they impact how much income is left after commuting expenses are incurred. But more generally, they impact accessibility to jobs, which is associated with reduced unemployment, better-paid jobs, and more formal and permanent employment. Accessibility is also a key determinant of where people can afford to live in urban areas. Carbon pricing can therefore negatively impact households, especially the poorest, by locking them out of the labor market or constraining them to live in locations with high housing costs.

Perspectives or Misperceptions? Why Better Land-Use Data Are Critical to Housing Policy Debates

Research correlating stringency in land-use regulation to low housing supply, high housing costs, and segregation relies on surveys of planners about land-use regulation. Housing policy reform proposals rely on much of this same research. We assess the reliability and validity of questions from three surveys using objective data on land-use regulation and its application. Response errors indicate that planners systematically underestimate the stringency effects of local regulation while overestimating the impact of state law. This signals potential bias that may skew some analysis. Scholars should account for this potential bias when analyzing survey data to inform land-use policy debates.

MORTGAGE REAL ESTATE MARKET: LENDING TO HOUSEHOLDS BY COMMERCIAL BANKS OF UKRAINE DURING THE STATE OF MARTIAL

MORTGAGE REAL ESTATE MARKET: LENDING TO HOUSEHOLDS BY COMMERCIAL BANKS OF UKRAINE DURING THE STATE OF MARTIAL

Subjective Well-Being in Czech and Slovak Cities

Cities are home to a significant proportion of the population in the EU, providing access to job opportunities and public services and, subsequently, driving economic growth. However, cities also face social and environmental challenges such as poverty, prohibitively high housing costs, discrimination, crime, excessive noise and air pollution. This raises the issue of how residents in European cities perceive their lives and assess their overal well-being and satisfaction with the amenities in their city. A U-shaped relationship between life satisfaction and age is tested in a sample of European cities using data from the Quality of Life in European Cities survey, with higher levels of satisfaction expected among younger and older individuals. The results supported the hypothesis and provided evidence for the importance of considering age in the analysis of well-being in urban settings. Subjective well-being is not only influenced by personal factors such as age and individual experiences but also by the quality of the urban environment. The second part employs ordinal logistic regression to analyse individual and contextual factors of well-being in four Czech and Slovak cities, namely Prague, Ostrava, Bratislava, and Košice.

Overseeing Infill

Problem, research strategy, and findings Several U.S. states with high housing costs have recently adopted laws intended to promote infill development. These new laws expand state agencies’ supervisory responsibilities to ensure that local governments comply with state mandates. Effective administration of these laws will require state agencies to accurately estimate the amount of new housing that might be created and to target review to the jurisdictions that are failing to meet the relevant requirements. Here we present quantitative tools both for prioritizing review of local plans and zoning ordinances and for estimating future housing development. We applied the tools to the implementation of California laws requiring local governments to amend their zoning ordinances to allow accessory dwelling units on parcels zoned for detached single-family housing development. We provide computer code, written in the open-source statistical computing language R, that implements these tools. Although we present off-the-shelf tools, our proposed tools should supplement other regulatory techniques rather than serving as a substitute. Takeaway for practice Requirements for local governments to allow infill development should be accompanied by mandates for data collection. With good data, state agencies can use open-source statistical software to create quantitative measures that can help estimate future housing production and set priorities for reviewing local plans and zoning ordinances.

The trifecta of adulthood: Housing, partnering and childbearing trajectories

Substantial changes in residential transitions and family formation patterns have been observed in Western societies, but less attention has been paid to the de-standardisation of adulthood pathways in East Asian contexts, where unique social, economic and cultural circumstances may produce diverse trajectories that are less explored in existing theoretical and empirical frameworks. Adopting a life course perspective, this study identifies the multi-trajectories of housing, partnering and childbearing across adulthood in Taiwan, a setting marked by high housing costs and low fertility rates. Data from the Taiwanese Panel Study of Family Dynamics 2000–2020 (N = 6,931) were used for group-based trajectory modelling, and mixed-effects multinomial regression was employed to examine the likelihood of group membership given early-life resources and social origin. Six common housing–partnering–childbearing trajectories were identified. The most prevalent living arrangement was living in parental homes (50.7%), followed by rental homes (25%), self-owned homes (15.5%) and dorms or other (8.8%). Union formation generally precedes childbearing, whereas housing transitions may occur at various time points. Young adults’ home-leaving and homeownership access appear to be closely related to their parental backgrounds, such as their parents’ educational attainment and occupational status. Overall, the findings are consistent with the de-standardisation of pathways to adulthood, demonstrating the diversity in adult trajectories and the lack of a single dominant pattern.

Evaluating the quality of life for sustainable urban development

As urbanization is rapidly progressing worldwide, the cities need to assess their quality of life (QOL) not only to check their infrastructure but also to keep pace with the changing citizens' sense of values and lifestyles. We propose an integrated method to evaluate urban QOL from the detailed spatial aspects of a city with the subjective preferences of its citizens. In this study, we collected the spatial data of urban setting attributes at a 500-m mesh scale, and the subjective preferences that vary based on individual attributes, to evaluate the QOL across five metropolitan areas in Japan. Our results reveal a greater disparity in QOL within larger metropolitan areas. The optimal urban population density for the best QOL tends to be around 4000 people/km2. This level strikes a balance between the benefits and drawbacks associated with urban QOL, such as enhanced living and cultural opportunities versus high housing costs and limited space. Moreover, QOL within a city varied according to geographic location, and these differences were amplified by subjective preferences. These findings contribute to our understanding of the disparities in urban QOL, and provide a scientific basis for urban policies that achieve diversity and inclusiveness.

The impact of housing-price-related indices on suicide rates in Taiwan.

While certain socioeconomic factors have been studied in relation to suicide, housing-price-related indexes have rarely been investigated. This article aims to examine the impact of housing-price-related indexes on suicide rates in the general population of Taiwan, a country with high housing costs and suicide rates. The study utilized three national housing-price-related indexes from 2012 to 2019: (1) housing price index, (2) housing price to income ratio, and (3) housing rental index. Cause of Death Data was employed to calculate suicide rate. A linear regression model with autoregressive errors was used to analyze the association between housing-price-related indexes and suicide rates among different sex and age groups. The findings revealed that higher housing rental index values were associated with increased suicide rates in young and middle-aged adults compared to the elderly population, regardless of sex. However, this association was not observed with the other two housing-price-related indexes (i.e. housing price index and housing price to income ratio). These results offer valuable insights for policymakers, mental health professionals, and housing advocates to improve housing affordability and reduce the burden of suicide in the general population, particularly among younger generations.

Crabgrass confinement: Housing and transportation challenges of low- and moderate-income suburban residents in the San Francisco Bay Area

The relationship between housing and transportation costs has been the focus of much research, with classic urban theory positing that housing costs decrease and commuting costs increase as households move away from city centers. The growing population of low and low-moderate (LMI) households in suburbs may be taking advantage of lower housing costs, though research shows that housing cost savings in suburbs are offset by higher transportation costs. Our research explores dimensions of housing and transportation cost burden on LMI households in Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay Area using qualitative data from online/in-person surveys (n = 208) and interviews conducted in English and Spanish (n = 25).We found that housing burden is high, suggesting that LMI households choose to live in suburbs for diverse reasons, including rising rents and other requirements (e.g., credit score, rental history) in core cities, and desire for home ownership and a safer environment for children. Yet LMI suburban residents are still vulnerable to rising rents and housing instability in suburban areas. In addition to high housing costs, transportation costs are higher in suburbs due to longer commutes and higher reliance on personal vehicles. Car access is necessary, especially for households with young children. Reliance on cars becomes an issue as LMI households often encounter maintenance issues of used cars or inability to make car payments. When faced with lack of car ownership, households rely on social networks or public transit, and in some cases, forgo trips or relinquish their vehicles entirely. The lack of quality transportation alternatives in suburban contexts, as existing public transit services have long headways and are not well-suited to serving off-peak trips between suburban areas, leaves LMI households vulnerable.

A broken heart and fear of the bulldozer: Organized abandonment and living with abandon in Hawai‘i

Hawai‘i faces a crisis of homelessness due to the high cost of housing across the islands. Many without formal housing establish interdependent communities unsanctioned by property regimes and refer to themselves as “houseless” because intimate relations with place and expansive practices of care provide an adequate home. Attending to the experiences of Hawai‘i’s houseless, I unpack the meanings and practices of organized abandonment while proposing that some face structural neglect by “living with abandon.” I argue that the rupturing of life-giving relations entwined with particular places serve as a foundation of organized abandonment. Devolution, state retrenchment, the intensification of land use for revenue-oriented development, and a punitive carceral state layer upon this foundational rupture to propel the continual abandonment of shared resources. This enables the ongoing circulation of capital through the environment. In response, people live with abandon by rejecting, or holding an ambivalent relationship with, aspirations to thrive within capitalism. Living with abandon is a form of creative improvisation that cultivates connections in the face of broken relations, yet remains defined by uncertainty and heartbreak. It both invokes the fullness of time and space and mourns the losses that have produced the tenuous present.