Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies

Triangles, Crescents, Slivers: Can Odd-Shaped Lots Help Ease the Housing Crisis?

For decades, builders ignored irregular lots, but as usable land becomes increasingly limited in urban areas, cities and states are changing zoning to allow for housing on odd plots and land traditionally reserved for single-family homes. @patrickcsisson.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/02/b...

Dorchester couple builds 14 micro-apartments, priced at $750 per month Elisa and Vivian Girard are in the final stages of completion on a four-story building located in Fields Corner.

Units are ~ 280 square feet with a bathroom & kitchenette. The building includes 2 wheelchair accessible units and shared amenities such as lounges, bike storage & laundry. The couple privately funded the project and intend for it to remain affordable in perpetuity.

www.boston.com/news/local-n...

What new ROAD to Housing Act means for homeowners A historic, bipartisan housing package trying to boost the country's home supply and alleviate the affordability crisis is moving through the legislature.

The ROAD to Housing bill, the most substantial housing package since the 1990s, unanimously passed the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday. It was a historic markup for the committee, which hadn't held one on housing in 17 years, but will it help affordability?

www.newsweek.com/what-new-roa...

Home Repairs Are Out of Reach for Many Lower-Income Homeowners The housing stock requires continuous reinvestment to maintain decent conditions. Yet many homeowners lack the resources to invest in basic maintenanc

Few low-income homeowners have money saved for home maintenance and while repair expenses can cause financial hardship, deferring them can increase long-term expenses, while also threatening the residents’ health and wellbeing, writes @sophiawedeen.bsky.social.

www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-re...

As housing prices in Mass. soar, they’ve remained stagnant in downtown Boston. Here’s what that means for the city. - The Boston Globe The city has increasingly placed its bets on building more housing downtown as office building prices have plummeted.

Finally, when it comes to price appreciation for downtown homes, there’s this: Most of the homes in question are condos, which have much greater age-related depreciation than single-family homes.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/30/b...

As housing prices in Mass. soar, they’ve remained stagnant in downtown Boston. Here’s what that means for the city. - The Boston Globe The city has increasingly placed its bets on building more housing downtown as office building prices have plummeted.

Another reason downtown prices haven’t appreciated is that — despite headlines heralding a return–to-office — lots of people are doing much of their work at home. In 2022, 18% of employees worked at hybrid or fully remote jobs. By 2024, it was 23%.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/30/b...

Downtown Boston housing prices have stagnated. Here’s what that means for the city. - The Boston Globe Housing prices in Massachusetts have soared in the last decade but have barely appreciated in parts of downtown. Why build more?

Why haven’t downtown Boston housing prices appreciated? First, there has been an exodus to the suburbs, even among millennials who once seemed to embrace city life, says @riordanfrost.bsky.social. But now, he says, “more millennials are suburbanizing than not.”

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/30/b...

Could prefab homes help alleviate the housing crisis? At a time when homeownership is out of reach for many lower-income individuals and families, manufactured homes could provide a path forward.

Manufactured homes cost up to two-thirds less than comparable single-family homes to build, and can be produced quickly, in all kinds of weather conditions. @marketplace.org

www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

How Trump’s Tax Law Will Deepen Housing Insecurity Steep cuts are planned for social programs. Here's a look at what's in the tax law, along with a second bill that would slash housing funding if passed.

The president's tax law raises funding for LIHTC, but steep cuts to social programs will more than outweigh the benefits. Shelterforce and @nextcity.org take a closer look at what's in the tax law, along with a second bill that would slash housing funding if passed. Read here: bit.ly/44YyPO1

What's Missing From HUD's Shrunken Website? HUD's new website is missing many of the resources that users relied on, including much of its archived content.

HUD’s overhaul took down more than just old PDFs—it erased essential tools advocates use to monitor housing discrimination and protect renters.

This matters.

🔗 bit.ly/405XLAa

#EquityInHousing #DigitalAccess #PublicAccountability #HUD

Boston needs to talk about housing for the middle class - The Boston Globe A strong body of evidence suggests the city is becoming a place for the rich, who can afford the city’s exorbitant prices, and the poor, who qualify for subsidies. What about everyone else?

The average home value in Boston has risen to $804,000 from $500,000 in 2018 and the salary needed by family of 4 to “live comfortably” is $320,000, among the highest in the nation. How to address this crisis needs to be front and center in the mayor’s race.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/24/o...

Frustrated by NIMBYs, states are trying to force cities to build affordable housing Utah's leaders worry skyrocketing home prices are keeping young people from creating wealth. It's among a growing number of states — red and blue — passing laws to promote more affordable places.

"This is no longer a problem of the lower class. This is a problem of the middle class and the upper-middle class... We're stopping young people from creating wealth." @npr.org @jenniferludden.bsky.social

www.npr.org/2025/07/24/n...

Barriers to Generational Wealth: Why Older Hispanic Homeowners Struggle to Leave a Financial Legacy In a recent blog, based on a working paper about the ability of Hispanic homeowners to transfer housing wealth to the next generation, I examined the

In part two of a blog series examining Hispanic homeownership, @patzipat.bsky.social outlines the challenges that arise after Hispanic families become homeowners and the difficulty they face in transferring housing wealth to the next generation.

www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/barrier...

Weakness in the housing market will likely dampen remodeling spending. It will be important to keep an eye on whether the housing market shows any sign of rebound in 2026, to assess if this slowdown is the beginning of a more significant downturn.

www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/slower-...

The State of the Nation's Housing 2025 The US housing market is shrouded in uncertainty. High home prices and interest rates have pushed sales to their lowest level in 30 years; insurance p

The new @harvard-jchs.bsky.social annual housing report highlights how housing costs continue to increase and keep ownership and rental housing unaffordable for many working families.

American Service Fellowship Earn your Mid-Career Master in Public Administration at Harvard Kennedy School—fully funded. For veterans, government employees, teachers, and national service alumni.

Today, the @harvardkennedy.bsky.social announced the new American Service Fellowship, a fully funded fellowship for public servants (military, teachers, etc.), to help prepare them for leadership roles in government, business, non-profits, and philanthropy.

www.hks.harvard.edu/american-ser...

Slower Growth Projected for Remodeling into Next Year Annual expenditures for improvements and maintenance to owner-occupied homes are expected to soften in 2026, according to our latest Leading Indi

Weakness in the housing industry is expected to dampen remodeling spending, but federal cuts to incentives for home energy improvements could spur activity in the short term, as homeowners seek to take advantage of programs before they disappear.

www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/slower-...

Home insurance costs so much that people can’t pay their mortgages. This threat could make things worse. A sharp rise in homeowners-insurance premiums is connected to rising levels of financial distress, especially among first-time buyers.

Rising home insurance costs are pushing some homeowners to a breaking point. Higher premiums driven in part by climate-related disasters are putting particular pressure on homeowners who are already cost-burdened, and especially those with lower incomes.

www.marketwatch.com/story/home-i...

Guaranteed Income (GI) programs have a number of benefits, yielding improvements in housing, food security, and health.

Immigration agents demand tenant information from landlords, stirring questions and confusion Immigration authorities are demanding that landlords turn over leases, rental applications, identification cards, and other information.

If landlords comply, they might risk violating the Fair Housing Act. “The danger here is overcompliance,” said Stacy Seicshnaydre, a Tulane law professor who studies housing law. “Just because a landlord gets a subpoena, doesn’t mean it’s a legitimate request.”

www.boston.com/news/nationa...

Are you a student at the @harvardkennedy.bsky.social, @gsd.harvard.edu or elsewhere at @harvard.edu? Come work with our Comms team!

We are seeking a student to help with publications, the launch of our new website, and more. Position runs through fall/spring.

www.jchs.harvard.edu/student-comm...

Flood risk is widespread in the U.S. Few people have insurance for it Climate change is increasing the risk of dangerous floods. But people often balk at the cost of flood insurance, especially since many doubt they need protection.

Climate change is increasing the risk of dangerous floods. But people often balk at the cost of flood insurance, especially since many doubt they need protection.

Fieldworks | Ivory Innovations Fieldworks accelerates the adoption of promising housing innovations by integrating them into Ivory Innovations’ own developments, creating real-world applications that demonstrate their value and imp...

Fieldworks is a new housing innovation implementation program from Ivory Innovations, designed to bring breakthrough housing solutions from the drawing board to the job site.

Learn more & apply online:
www.ivoryinnovations.org/fieldworks

Why is the number of first-time US homebuyers at a generational low? Young Americans are holding off on buying a home, with the average age in 2024 being a record high of 38

For young Americans, holding off on buying a home has become the new norm. Last year, the average age of a first-time homebuyer was 38 years old.

www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...

Arnie Arnesen Attitude July 10 2025 Part 1:We talk with Ryan Cooper, Managing Editor, The American Prospect.We discuss the provisions of the BBBill, and how these will affect many Americans, including children.Part 2:We talk with Susann...

LISTEN: Our research fellow Susanne Schindler talks to WNHN radio host @nharnie.bsky.social about how the concepts of social housing can be used in the US to develop more permanently affordable housing.

www.podomatic.com/podcasts/sta...

Trump’s deportation agenda will destroy millions of jobs: Both immigrants and U.S.-born workers would suffer job losses, particularly in construction and child care Deportations will eliminate millions of jobs held by immigrant and U.S.-born workers according to research on increased immigration enforcement.

A new report from @epi.org says that the administration's deportation agenda will destroy millions of jobs, and the construction industry will be disproportionately harmed because of its large immigrant workforce. @benzipperer.org

www.epi.org/publication/...

Rents are actually, finally holding steady — for now The main reason rents are steady or even declining slightly? Construction of new apartments is near a 50-year high.

Where you live makes a big difference in terms of rents. “Austin's the poster child for rents declining right now," says @aherm.bsky.social. And in the South and West you see rent declines but rents are rising in every single market in the Northeast and Midwest.

www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

A Year for the Record Books: The State of the Nation’s Housing in Perspective It has been a record year for housing. Our latest State of the Nation’s Housing report highlights an eye-popping list of milestones that were set in

✅ The highest monthly mortgage payment on record
✅ The highest median existing home price
✅ A record number of renters with cost burdens
✅ A record number of billion-dollar weather-related disasters in a 2 year span

2024 was a year full of housing records.

www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/year-re...

For the third year in a row, a record number of renters can’t afford their housing costs - Streetlight Zoning updates that allow more types of housing are helping some Americans become homeowners

For the average homebuyer, single-family houses are affordable in just three of the nation’s 100 largest metro areas streetlightnews.org/housing-costs/

A Year for the Record Books: The State of the Nation’s Housing in Perspective It has been a record year for housing. Our latest State of the Nation’s Housing report highlights an eye-popping list of milestones that were set in

Our latest State of the Nation’s Housing report highlights an eye-popping list of records that were set in 2024, says @dmccue.bsky.social. Most relate to housing affordability or, more accurately, the lack of it.

www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/year-re...