U. S. Housing Markets, Problems, and Policies

This course examines the operation of U.S. housing markets, the principal housing problems facing the nation, and policy approaches to address them within the existing political, regulatory and market context.  The course is structured around five central housing problems that are the focus of US housing policy:  the challenge of producing housing affordable for lower-income households generally; approaches to subsidizing rental housing for low- and moderate-income households; the challenges facing low-income households and people of color in attaining homeownership; the high degree of residential segregation by race/ethnicity and income and associated differential access to public and private resources that results; and how housing policy can support broader efforts at community revitalization.  Each section of the course will develop a detailed understanding of the nature of the problem, how the operation of housing markets either produce or fail to address the problem, introduce the principal federal, state and local policy approaches available to address the problem, and wrestle with critical policy questions that arise in choosing how best to address the problem. The goal of the course is to build both a foundation of knowledge and a critical perspective needed to diagnose the genesis of the nation’s housing problems, to identify the potential policy levers for addressing these failures, and to assess the relative merits of alternative approaches. Synchronous class sessions will be a mixture of short lectures and large and small group class discussions focusing on the assigned readings. Each synchronous class will be supplemented by short asynchronous lectures as well. The course will include frequent guests to provide a range of perspectives on the topics covered, including those from the public and nonprofit sectors, researchers, developers, and the communities served. Students will be expected to come to synchronous classes prepared to be fully engaged participants in the discussions. Over the course of the semester, students will be required to prepare periodic reviews of assigned readings and prepare questions for guests which will be shared on Canvas. The principal assignments for the class will be a mid-term paper analyzing a housing challenge in a jurisdiction of the student’s choosing and a final paper assessing policy options for addressing the challenge and proposing a course of action. The course is intended for graduate students with an interest in US housing policy, although no previous background in housing policy or disciplinary training is required.

This course is jointly listed with HKS as SUP 670.

This course will be taught online through Friday, February 4th.