scholarly journals Examining Rental Housing Affordability Among Eastern Ethiopian Cities

2019 ◽  
Urban Studies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (13) ◽  
pp. 2709-2726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismael Yrigoy

In light of the advent of Airbnb, rent gap theory can be helpful for understanding how tourist rentals affect residential rental housing. It is argued that on those properties currently rented to residents, rental payments are not only ‘actual ground rent’, but also ‘potential ground rent’. The shift from a residential to a touristic use of rental housing thereby creates a potential ground rent. Taking as a case study the Palma Old Quarter in Mallorca, Spain, this paper analyses the evolution of the stock, prices, and revenues of residential rentals vis-à-vis tourist rentals and finds that, because it is more profitable to rent to tourists than to residents, the number of houses listed on Airbnb has increased, housing affordability for residents has shrunk, and the threat of displacement has increased.


Urban Studies ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 004209802092783
Author(s):  
Matthew Palm ◽  
Katrina Eve Raynor ◽  
Georgia Warren-Myers

Governments worldwide have responded to housing affordability challenges with supply-side solutions. Proponents of these approaches often draw on the notion of ‘filtering effects’ to argue that new supply naturally trickles down to lower-income households over time, improving affordability. This study examines the characteristics of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing in Melbourne, Australia, analysing how dwelling age impacts rental cost. We specify a non-linear relationship between building age and rents through hedonic rent modelling, reflecting a premium for historic properties in inner Melbourne. We also conduct a cluster analysis of rental listings and measure affordability by cluster. Our results problematise the notion of filtering, finding that most contemporary affordable housing was initially built in the 1960s and 1970s as social housing or targeted at low-income households. We argue that filtering in this instance is not natural but is instead a reflection of historic government expenditure and past construction choices, or ‘filter up’.


2020 ◽  
pp. 003802612091612
Author(s):  
Max Holleran

This article examines housing activism in five American cities using interviews with millennial-age housing activists, seeking more apartment development, and baby boomers who are members of neighbourhood groups that oppose growth. Many of the groups supporting growth have banded together under the banner of the ‘Yes in My Backyard’ (YIMBY) movement which seeks fewer zoning laws and pushes for market-rate rental housing. In desirable cities with thriving job opportunities, housing costs are pricing out not only low-income renters but also the middle class. The millennial activists sampled blame baby boomers for the lack of affordable housing because of resistance to higher density construction in neighbourhoods with single-family homes (characterising these people as having a ‘Not in My Backyard’ [NIMBY] mindset). The research shows that boomers and millennials not only disagree over urban growth but also more fundamental questions of what makes a liveable city.


Urban Studies ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 1615-1635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C Lens

The effects of the Great Recession on housing equity and homeownership have been well-documented. However, we know little about how rental households fared and the efficacy of housing subsidies in addressing affordability gaps. This paper examines the extent to which rental housing became less affordable for Extremely Low-Income (ELI) households – those earning less than 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI). I then run regression models to determine the local characteristics most strongly associated with larger affordability gaps, with a focus on whether housing subsidies are effective at combating such gaps. Rental affordability gaps became more pronounced during the Great Recession. In nearly 70% of the counties in my sample, there was an increase from 2007 to 2010 in the number of ELI households per affordable rental unit. Across the country, the increase was 17%, a dramatic increase in only three years. There is considerable variation across the country, with acute affordability crises often concentrated in the South, particularly Florida. Regression models provide compelling evidence that housing vouchers, public housing, and project-based Section 8 subsidies play an important role in limiting the extent to which large numbers of ELI households are competing for a shortage of low-cost rental units. However, these programmes do not respond quickly to local needs – such as those brought about by the Great Recession. A pilot study where local housing authorities had funding to be more agile and responsive would be an important step toward crafting better policy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-32
Author(s):  
Elina Sutela ◽  
Sampo Ruoppila ◽  
Jarkko Rasinkangas ◽  
Jutta Juvenius

The article analyses how housing affordability is defined in Finnish housing policy. The data consists of laws, policy documents and expert interviews. Three theoretical approaches are identified: normative definitions, consumer choice and definition by housing tenure. Normative definitions that consider affordability as an intersection of household income, housing costs and housing standards are acknowledged, but not treated as policy objectives. Nevertheless, housing allowances are a practical implementation of this approach. The main aim of housing policy – increasing housing supply to support a balanced market – implies that the housing question is to be solved primarily by the market and, consequently, affordability is defined by consumer choice. Social rental housing is often explicitly referred to as “affordable”. However, limiting the question to one tenure is problematic. The article recommends adopting a normative definition as well as better coordination of housing policy, which is now divided between different ministries.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Mackaay

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a planning model that concentrates compact, mixed-use development near high order transit. The problem arises when the intensification of transit-oriented locations does not occur in an equitable way and results in the displacement of low-income households, who are arguably the most reliant on access to transit. Metro Vancouver’s regional growth strategy (RGS) supports the TOD model by designating Urban Centres as key areas to absorb the majority of the region’s growth and development, as well as transit service. The growth targets in the RGS have led to the rezoning of many Urban Centres to allow for more density, thereby prompting redevelopment activity. The City of Burnaby is of particular interest because it has been experiencing a significant loss of affordable rental housing in low-income neighborhoods along the SkyTrain line as a result of the redevelopment occurring within its designated Urban Centres. This research provides a list of recommendations that are geared toward helping Burnaby preserve affordable rental housing options along the transit corridor. Keywords: Affordable Rental Housing, Density, Displacement, Low-Income Household, Redevelopment, Regional Growth Strategy, Town Centre, Transit Accessibility, Transit Corridor, Transit-Oriented Development, Urban Centre


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