Quality. Independence. Impact.

Home | Contact Us | Media Resources

Monday July 7, 2008

Welcome   |   Register   |   Log in

Past Event

Understanding What Makes Housing Truly Affordable

The Housing and Transportation Affordability Index

Housing, Community Development, Cities

Event Summary


Moderator:
Urban Markets Initiative, Metropolitan Policy Program, The Brookings Institution

Panelists:
Peter M. Haas, Ph.D.
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Mariia Zimmerman
Center for Transit-Oriented Development, Reconnecting America
Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program

Discussion Paper
The Affordability Index: A New Tool for Measuring the True Affordability of a Housing Choice
Presentation
The Housing & Transportation Affordability Index (PDF-451K)
Related Resources
UMI Pilot Projects: The Housing and Transportation Affordability Index
Center for Transit-Oriented Development
Center for Neighborhood Technology

We all know what affordable housing is. Or do we?

Traditionally, housing is considered affordable if it accounts for 30 percent or less of a household's monthly budget. But consumers filling up at the gas pump today understand that affordability is about more than just the mortgage payment. While housing costs are well-understood, transportation costs are often dramatically underestimated or ignored, creating an urban information gap.

To investigate this, KnowledgePlex and the Urban Markets Initiative of the Brookings Institution present an online discussion about a new way to measure true affordability of housing: the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index. Incorporating housing costs with the costs associated with that location, this analytic tool enables developers, transportation planners, and individuals to uncover the hidden price of transportation that dramatically shapes household budgets.

Dr. Peter M. Haas, of the Center for Neighborhood Technology and lead developer of the Affordability Index's transportation cost model, and Mariia Zimmerman, vice president for policy at Reconnecting America, will discuss the development of the index, its results in the Twin Cities pilot, and the implications for its future use nationwide.

Watch the Presentation
View the discussion, archived with video and audio. (Free registration, required)

Event Information

When

Thursday, January 19, 2006
2:00 PM to

Where

KnowledgePlex Expert Chat co-hosted by UMI
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
Directions

Contact: Brookings Office of Communications

E-mail: events@brookings.edu

Phone: 202.797.6105

My Portfolio

My New Content

View suggested content based on items you have saved to your Portfolio.
Log in or register now