The Evolution of Local and Regional Housing Studies

Abstract

Housing studies have evolved over eighty years from a set of disparate techniques into comprehensive fair share housing allocation plans. During this evolution the individual studies also have served a variety of political purposes, although housers and planners have not always admitted to them. In the latest development, a few states have sought to implement these plans by explicitly bringing them squarely into the political arena. They have done so by using analysis and plan as an agenda for improved vertical and horizontal intergovernmental sharing of control over land use decisions. This article provides a historical review of the evolution of these studies and their political uses. It concludes with some possible next steps in the evolution of housing studies.