APA publishes 5 Affordable Housing Tech Tools for Every Stakeholder

Use these apps, maps, and datasets to make critical decisions about urban development, land use, and equitable housing solutions.

Oct. 19, 2023

By SARAH BASSETT; VASUDHA GADHIRAJU, AICP; COLLEEN R. WILLGER, AICP

This story is part of the “Tech Tools” series, created in collaboration with APA’s Technology Division. From climate resilience to mobility to tools that help plan for uncertainty, we highlight topical datasets, applications, and other tools that help planners understand — and better plan for — their communities.

Today’s planner is working in a global housing crisis across the income spectrum. The American dream of home ownership has a complex history for many people and achieving it is becoming harder nationally. Rental homes are also increasingly unaffordable, which is generally defined as housing (including utilities) that costs an occupant more than 30 percent of their gross income. Renters also face reduced access to neighborhoods with housing they can afford, according to the National Equity Atlas, which found that 81 of the 100 most populous regions in the U.S. saw a decline in affordability between 2013 and 2019.

Technology can be a potential disruptor, as planners answer the call to action for equitable growth, attainable housing, and affordable living. This generational transformation will require planners to cultivate partnerships with nonprofit organizations (like Housing Connector), designers, builders, policy makers, engagement specialists, community members, and others to help change how we design, build, and deliver — through tools that help us better analyze and visualize — better and more equitable affordable housing solutions.

Read on to explore how technology is augmenting the current and future trends of affordable housing.

https://planning.org/planning/2023/fall/5-affordable-housing-tech-tools-for-every-stakeholder/