Housing Supply Research Articles

An experimental study on premium measurement in response to residents' willingness to pay for green housing in urban areas

As the market continues to progress, the provision of green housing will inevitably increase, leading to a rising significance of residents' willingness to pay in determining the premium pricing and market promotion of these residences. This research measures residents' willingness to pay response experimentally, examining the driving mechanisms behind willingness to pay for green housing and the associated premium levels. Experiments revealed the following findings: (1) Intervention experiments on key driver factor (the mediating variable operational trust) of the theoretical model showed that willingness to pay among experimental group residents (green housing neighborhoods) increased from 269 to 291 CNY/m² (an 8 % increase), while the control group residents (residential building neighborhoods) experienced an increase from 170 to 236 CNY/m² (a 39 % increase). (2) Thirty scenario experiments on key driving factors (the mediating variable informational appeal) in the theoretical model demonstrated that, with information intervention, residents' willingness to pay increased by 27.5 %, which is less than the result derived from direct inquiry (29.4 %). Policy recommendations are based on the conclusions of the study.

Politics in affordable housing provision: How partisan control of local councils influences planning choices

Politics in affordable housing provision: How partisan control of local councils influences planning choices

Queer households and possibilities for shared housing: a policy case study analysis

ABSTRACT Kinship structures among Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (2SLGBTQI+) individuals differ from conventional nuclear families. Heteronormative models of family and cohabitation impact housing options, resulting in the marginalization of queer households in Canada. This paper examines systemic factors in federal, provincial, and municipal policies, focusing on two specific policies: Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit and Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods, which limit housing provision for 2SLGBTQI+ individuals. Using Toronto as a case study, it evaluates how these policies affect the household needs of 2SLGBTQI+ adults based on queer kinship and identifies opportunities for change.

Urban sustainability in social housing environments: A spatial impact assessment in Bogotá, Colombia

As cities adapt to the challenges of rapid urbanization, sustainable development goals, and post-pandemic realities, understanding the intricacies of urban sustainability is vital. This study presents a spatial impact assessment of urban sustainability, focusing on the distinctive requirements of social housing urban environments in Bogota, Colombia. By contextualizing this study in the ever-evolving post-pandemic paradigm, it depicts the current conditions of the city towards future development scenarios. The sustainability assessment relies on a set of 11 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), emphasizing the particular needs of social housing and offering a comprehensive analysis that links the conditions of the urban environment, environmental quality, and social well-being, all under the umbrella of Sustainable Development Goal 11. Specific spatial analysis using GIS tools (e.g. spatial interpolation, network analysis, multispectral imagery analysis), statistical analysis, and data engineering were employed to evaluate the selected KPIs. This evaluation revealed distinct spatial patterns of socioeconomic inequity, primarily impacting areas with a higher concentration of social housing within the city. These findings highlight critical areas requiring strategic attention to promote the city's sustainability transition. Key insights indicate that areas lacking sufficient access to green spaces and essential urban services, alongside higher pollution levels, are associated with lower social well-being, reduced perceptions of security, and are characterized by high population density and a significant presence of social housing. These results, available on an interactive web-GIS app, underscore the imperative for policies and planning that not only address the provision of social housing but also ensure a sustainable built environment, shaping a sustainable, inclusive, safe, and resilient future. The methodology and insights presented in this study are also applicable and scalable to similar urban contexts globally.

Rental Housing Supply and Build-to-Rent Conundrum in Australia

Traditionally, rental housing has been supplied by a large pool of individual investors who own a few units and invest their savings, with some leverage, to take advantage of the tax regime in Australia. The last five years have seen the emergence of build-to-rent (BTR) units, which are supplied by investors who own a large number of units. The state of Victoria in Australia has the largest share of these projects. In the current market and regulatory environment, the financial viability of BTR projects is low for investors and hinges on the ability of units to be leased at higher than market rents. This paper examines four groups of levers, including those already being pursued by the building industry, that can be used to improve the financial viability of BTRs. These include: (i) revenue maximization, (ii) cost reduction (iii) fiscal and (iv) planning incentives. An archetypical BTR project which mimics current practice is considered, assumed to be in Docklands, Victoria, where several BTR projects are planned. For the robustness check, a feasibility analysis is conducted for a site in North Melbourne, a neighbourhood in Victoria with several BTR projects. The results indicate that for revenue maximization, the mix of unit types in a BTR project should be location-specific, as market preferences (and the characteristics of renters) determine the rent for different types of units that can be achieved. In a conventional BTR project development, where land is bought upfront and the project is developed, the mixed-use BTR (residential in combination with commercial) does not provide significant financial benefits though including small retail (3–4% of the net lettable area) may provide complementary benefits. Incurring large capital costs upfront and having the revenue stream spread over long periods reduces financial viability. While construction costs are more difficult to reduce, ways to reduce land costs could be through zoning land for BTR use, through mechanisms such as joint ventures with landowners, and land leasing. Exemptions on income, land tax, and rates (like CHPs) can result in a higher return for investors. A full GST refund, an incentive that industry is lobbying for, results in a similar IRR as an exemption on income, land tax and rates would offer. These results will assist in determining priorities for policies that are aimed at BTR.

Making housing affordable? The local effects of relaxing land-use regulation

This paper examines the effects of relaxing land-use regulations on housing supply and rents at the local intra-city level. We apply a staggered difference-in-difference model, exploiting exogenous differences in the treatment timing of zoning plan reforms as identifying variation. Increasing the allowable floor-to-area ratio (FAR), i.e., upzoning, significantly increases the living space and housing units by approximately 9% in the subsequent five to ten years. This effect is stronger for larger upzonings, for rasters where zoning is binding, and where rents are high. Furthermore, upzoning leads to no difference in hedonic rents between upzoned and later-upzoned rasters. These results show that upzoning is a viable policy for increasing housing affordability. However, the effects depend on the upzoning policy design and take several years to materialize.

Exploring housing supply dynamics and temporal modelling of residential construction activities

Exploring housing supply dynamics and temporal modelling of residential construction activities

Exploring the conditions for the emergence and sustainability of housing cooperatives in Latin America

Housing cooperatives are being reconsidered in many countries worldwide as potentially relevant actors in the provision of affordable housing. This is also the case in Latin America, characterised by neo-liberal housing policies that have led to an increasing financialization of housing and marginalisation of the poor. Uruguay is an exception, with housing cooperatives playing a key role in the provision of affordable housing. For over two decades its Federation of Mutual Aid Housing Cooperatives (FUCVAM) has been advocating and actively supporting the establishment of cooperative housing in the region. In this paper, we examine the opportunities and challenges of housing cooperatives to penetrate in Colombia and El Salvador’s housing systems, two countries historically characterised by neo-liberal housing regimes. Based on empirical research in Uruguay, Colombia, and El Salvador, we will analyse the socioeconomic, political, and institutional factors that enable or constrain the emergence of housing cooperatives and their sustainability over time.

Determinants of housing demands and residential rent costs in an emerging city in Southern Nigeria

Housing is vital to human experience. It is the basis and foci of daily activities. In Asaba, a strategically located, fast-growing metropolis, city officials are confronted by myriads of urban planning issues, one of which is provision of urban housing. This study attempted to identify the determinants of housing demands and costs of residential rents within the city (Asaba). In this study, the ex-post facto and survey designs were deployed. The data for the study comprised of the primary (questionnaire data) and secondary (historical housing data) types. For effective questionnaire administration, the study area was stratified into high, medium and low income areas. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were deployed for data analyses. The results indicated that the key determinants of residential housing demand and costs were ease of access to public transport (69 %), nearness to security formations (80 %) and higher demand for houses in supply (75.8 %); and the Spearman's rank correlation showed that these factors were significant at P < 0.05. Other factors such as availability of electricity and access to water supply were not significant determinants of choice of housing at P > 0.05. This is due to the fact that the whole region lacks adequate electricity supply and water is self-harnessed through boreholes. ANOVA showed that there was a significant temporal variation in the cost of residential housing rents at p<0.05 (F-69.03; sig 0.000). Consequently, this study recommends that there is need for the decentralisation of the city; which should be realised by an efficient development of the suburbs to high standards that would meet the requirements of prospective renters. Policy development and establishment of basic facilities in the suburbs, would help actualise this decentralization. Also, collaboration between government and private developers could yield more supply in the housing stuck, consequently reducing costs of housing.

Housing Limitarianism: What’s Wrong with Owning Excess Homes?

ABSTRACT There is a growing contention in the Housing Justice movement from activists, theorists, and politicians that not only should everyone have enough housing, but there is something wrong with having too much of it. This paper provides a framework to articulate and defend efforts to create housing wealth ceilings. Building on the work of Ingrid Robeyns, it develops the moral and political doctrine of housing limitarianism. This doctrine asserts it is morally wrong to have too much housing while others, human or animal, do not have enough, and that governments ought to limit the excessive acquisition/consumption of housing by individuals and corporations. I employ the Rawlsian ideal of property-owning democracy to argue for the dispersal of homeownership throughout society. Lastly, I discuss how housing justice can ethically negotiate the apparent conflict between increasing the supply of affordable housing and the preservation of natural habitat for wildlife.

Sustaining tenancies by ‘caring-with’: care ethics in social housing tenancy management

ABSTRACT This article contributes to scholarship that conceptualises housing, particularly social housing, as an infrastructure of care. Care for people with housing needs that cannot be met in the private market is shaped through the provision of social housing, and social housing can also be a site for caring (and careless) practices and relations. Using qualitative data gathered in interviews with tenancy managers at one of the largest social housing providers in Victoria, I argue that tenancy management must be understood as an integral pillar of the caring infrastructure social housing can provide. Tenancy managers who participated in this study understood tenancy management in social housing as a caring practice. They described their role as oriented around sustaining the tenancies of people with high and complex support needs who would otherwise be at high risk of homelessness. However, tenancy managers also faced consistent barriers to the enactment of tenancy-sustainment-as-care, which emerged when caring relationships between the actors involved in sustaining a tenancy broke down. This paper focuses on their experiences of overcoming barriers, resolving conflicts, and successfully sustaining tenancies. The analysis shows that ‘caring-with’ – i.e., working relationally to build collaborative networks of care-givers and care-receivers – can support tenancy sustainment.

Managing the threat of decoupling in the U.S. affordable housing industry

AbstractDecoupling, or the practice of communicating different organizational values and goals than those rigorously pursued, is a concept discussed in the organization theory literature. Organizations engage in it when their legitimacy hinges on obtaining the support of stakeholders with disparate interests, and they attempt to appease some stakeholders with words and others with actions. One problem with decoupling is that it can lead organizations to operate in ways that are not reflective of their stated missions. With this concern in mind, the analysis presented here explores the prevalence of decoupling in the U.S. affordable housing industry and considers how, when, and why it occurs, and to what effect. Thematic analysis of interview data collected from industry practitioners suggests decoupling is common, comes in multiple forms, and must be effectively managed if municipal governments hope to partner with for-profit and nonprofit affordable housing providers to achieve their social policy goals.

THE SITUATION ON THE UKRAINIAN RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET IN THE PRE-WAR AND WAR PERIODS

The War and the Ukrainian Housing Market: Overview and Forecasts: The article examines the domestic housing market dynamics in the pre-war and war periods. Quantitative indicators of the housing stock of Ukraine are analyzed, and their dynamics and structure are highlighted. The State Program "eRestoration": The Way to Housing Restoration: The features of implementing the "eRestoration" program aimed at compensating damaged and destroyed housing are considered. Trends in price changes in the primary, secondary, and rental housing markets in different regions of Ukraine are substantiated and conceptualized. Resumption of construction: Dynamics and prospects: The article examines aspects of the resumption of construction in Ukraine: the number of residential complexes sold in 2023 and apartments put into operation are analyzed. The state's role in the recovery of the housing market emphasizes the critical role of the state in stimulating the development of the housing market and providing affordable housing for people who lost it due to the war. Housing market: challenges and prospects. 1. Functioning of the housing market: the housing market as a system of economic relations; its role in stimulating savings, redistribution of resources, and investment; the impact of the war on the domestic housing market. 2. Market trends in 2023: growing demand for ready or almost ready housing; higher real estate prices, especially in the western regions; internal and external population migration; slow construction and accumulation of pent-up demand. 3. Future forecasts: stabilization of the market in the absence of escalation of the war; conversion of pent-up demand into new transactions; price correction; opportunities for further market development; stimulation of demand for housing and commercial real estate; development of urban infrastructure. 4. The role of the state: the leading role of the state in the formation of the regulatory framework; implementation of programs to eliminate imbalances in housing provision; elimination of the adverse effects of the war; 5. Conclusion: The restoration and development of the housing market of Ukraine is a complex task that requires joint efforts of the state, businesses, and citizens. Improving the uniqueness of the text: new subheadings were added to improve the structure of the text; more dynamic and emotional words and phrases were used; author's opinions and analytics were added; specific examples and statistics were provided; complex sentences were rephrased to improve readability; a different writing style was used to emphasize the author's handwriting.

Developer sentiment, developer’s strategy and housing supply: evidence from Hong Kong

ABSTRACT The increasingly important role of sentiment in the housing market has complicated the challenges facing developers during boom-and-bust cycles. This study investigates how developer sentiment affects developers’ decision-making and the housing supply at the project level. As the standard evaluation usually overlooks sentiment resulting in suboptimal inferences, we develop a new theoretical model that analyses both sentiment and developers’ optimal strategies. Our findings suggest a ‘U’-shape relationship between developer sentiment and the expected waiting time to develop. Second, the optimal development density declines when developer sentiment intensifies. The Hong Kong housing market is used as a case for empirical analysis.

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.

Real estate for social purpose: varieties of entrepreneurialism in Toronto’s non-profit housing sector

Non-profit housing providers have faced ongoing pressure from neoliberal restructuring policies since the late twentieth century. In reaction to funding cuts and policies requiring them to become more business-like, housing organisations have become more hybrid, incorporating entrepreneurial logics and practices from the real estate sector. We expand on the concept of hybridity to argue that under certain institutional contexts, non-profits can apply real estate entrepreneurialism towards their social housing missions. Analysing development and acquisition practices of 13 non-profit housing providers in the Greater Toronto Area, we explore how non-profits balance entrepreneurial practices with their commitment to de-commodified housing. Three types of hybrid organisations are identified: large economy-of-scale organisations that prioritise growth and real estate professionalisation; service-focused organisations whose mission statement limits their growth aspirations; and newcomers, whose forays into housing development face both internal capacity limits and criticism from veteran organisations. The variances in hybridisation processes across and within institutional contexts, we find, require a more nuanced theorisation of the longer-term implications of neoliberalisation on social housing. Learning from Toronto’s budding social purpose real estate sector, we identify key resources for entrepreneurial housing non-profits: building sectoral assets, knowledge sharing, risk management, and a balance between organisational diversity and scale.

The role of built environments and use of communal spaces in helping facilitate social connections of older people living in housing with care schemes

PurposeThis paper examined the significance of the built environment for shaping inclusion and social connections in housing with care (HwC) schemes for older people (50+ years) in England and Wales. The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of how the availability, absence and use of communal spaces impacts social connections with other residents within HwC schemes.Design/methodology/approachLongitudinal and cross-sectional qualitative interviews were conducted with 72 residents across three HwC providers in England and Wales. Data were analysed using a thematic framework approach to examine how residents experienced their living environments.FindingsWhilst the presence of communal shared spaces helps facilitate social connections and the development of friendships, full and equal access to these spaces remains challenging for residents with minority characteristics, and/or physical impairments. Building designers need to ensure they are complying with building regulations and the Equalities Act. The presence of on-site staff may also help to manage the impact of discriminatory attitudes.Research limitations/implicationsA key strength of this study is its design, both in using longitudinal and cross-sectional interviews and in recruiting respondents with marginalised characteristics, whose voices have often been excluded in gerontological research. Another strength, albeit unexpected, is that this study was able to capture perspectives across the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic, however, may also have generated some limitations in this study. COVID-19 restrictions limited the ability to engage face-to-face within housing schemes whose residents were predominantly from different ethnic minoritised groups, and it therefore limits the inclusion of the voices and experiences of these groups. Responses in later interviews may also have been influenced by the changes in social engagement stimulated by lockdowns and may only be specific to the context of the pandemic. However, the findings reported here focus on the role and use of the built environment, and much of the interview content would feasibly apply regardless of the pandemic.Practical implicationsThis research offers some key insights and implications for housing providers and policy. Housing providers and architects must ensure that the design of HwC schemes affords all residents access to every area of the built environment to maintain independence, autonomy and to adopt the ethos of the ageing in place agenda. If communal areas are to function as “third” or social spaces – if they are to remain equally accessible to all members of the community – then building providers must ensure that all areas are accessible to all residents in line with building regulations and the Equality Act (2010).Social implicationsHousing staff need to balance the natural development of friendship groups with the potential of the formation of exclusionary “cliques” within HwC schemes. Such cliques threaten the accomplishment of communal areas as “third” or social spaces and, as such, impact the quality of life for residents.Originality/valueThis study offers insights into how built environments support the development of social connections and friendships in HwC schemes. It also identifies ways that housing managers can ensure that all residents feel equally valued and included.

Planning for socially sustainable rural housing in Sweden

The aim of this article is to analyse and discuss policies and planning for rural housing, with a special focus on social sustainability. In this endeavour, we review research with such a focus and put this in dialogue with an analysis of the contemporary situation regarding rural housing challenges and policies in Sweden. Countrysides in Europe, including Sweden, are diverse and face different housing-related challenges. The literature illuminates spatial as well as socio-economic inequalities. Both a low demand for housing related to a shrinking labour market and out-migration and a high pressure on the housing market triggering restrictive or conditional measures to avoid speculative developments and rural gentrification affect social sustainability.Our case study on policy and planning measures that deal with rural housing in Sweden shows that there is a need to further investigate and understand the role of housing in rural areas for various groups and people with fewer resources, including further elaboration on the connection between mobilities and housing needs. A narrow focus upon housing provision that does not take into account access to services and communications as well as contemporary mobility flows of different groups challenges equality and well-being in rural areas. In Sweden, housing is primarily a municipal, local responsibility. However, exogenous forces or trends mean that housing issues play out at both the regional and national levels and put the municipalities in a difficult situation.

Implementation of the Independent Housing Stimulant Assistance Program in the Provision of Livable Houses in Soloy Agung Village, West Kulisusu District, North Buton Regency

This study aims to determine the implementation of the Independent Housing Stimulant Assistance Program in the provision of livable houses in Soloy Agung Village, West Kulisusu District, North Buton Regency. This research uses a qualitative approach. The informants in this study were selected using a purposive sampling technique, so that the informants in this study consisted of communities receiving uninhabitable housing assistance. The data in this study were obtained through interviews, observations and documentation. The data obtained was then analyzed qualitatively with an interactive model consisting of data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawn. The results of the study show that there are three steps in the implementation of Self-Help Housing Stimulant Assistance in Soloy Agung Village, West Kulisusu District, first , community preparation, which includes recipient organization, socialization, household needs identification, store services, and proposal writing, is a process designed to enable potential recipients to be ready for the program and to guarantee success and sustainability; Second, Pre-execution activities are a series of arrangements made before the start of construction or restoration activities of the primary house. This regulation includes the identification of aid recipients, the distribution of assistance, and the completion of assistance; and third, the use of BSPS funds is regulated to ensure that the funds are used efficiently and in accordance with the program's objectives, which are to improve housing standards for low-income communities. This includes the creation of DRPBs, shop contracts, hiring handymen, purchasing building materials, performing real work, paying workers' wages, and reporting. BSPS software helps people build and repair livable homes, reduce financial burdens, and create healthy homes with good lighting, sanitation, and durability.

The right to housing in a neoliberal and colonial context

ABSTRACT In Canada, emerging discussions about colonialism and ongoing retrenchment from the welfare state, including social housing, accentuate the urgency of addressing housing need in ways that uphold both human and Indigenous rights. Through questionnaires and interviews with 28 non-profit housing providers in British Columbia, Manitoba, and New Brunswick, this paper examines the intersection of human and Indigenous rights with the provision of low-rent non-market housing. It identifies barriers and strategies to advancing the right to housing in Canada’s settler-colonial capitalist context and, in doing so, articulates possibilities for new policies upholding housing as a human and Indigenous right.