Housing & House Policy

Equitable Development: Securing Affordable Units in Exchange for Public Land

Equitable Development: Securing Affordable Units in Exchange for Public Land

Recently, GOPC partnered with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to report on equitable development interventions that can be used to improve equity outcomes within the context of weak real estate markets found in legacy cities within the United States. The equitable development strategies we profiled attempt to make safe, secure, and affordable housing attainable for residents of color and low-income residents through increased production, maximizing benefits associated with affordable housing, or capitalizing on market opportunities.

GOPC Releases Multi-Year Strategic Housing Plan for Springfield

GOPC Releases Multi-Year Strategic Housing Plan for Springfield

Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) has released a multi-year strategic housing plan for Springfield. Quality Housing for All: A Four-Year Strategic Plan for Springfield provides community leaders with a roadmap to address current and future housing needs in Springfield. Community leaders have elevated housing as a communitywide priority.

Protecting Housing in Ohio’s Cities through Rental Property Registries and Licensure Programs

Protecting Housing in Ohio’s Cities through Rental Property Registries and Licensure Programs

Ohio’s cities have experienced an increase in rental properties over the last decade and many communities have established rental registries and licensing programs in response. Rental property registries and licensing programs are often utilized by municipalities to gather up-to-date information for rental properties and owners, and to ensure properties meet basic standards of habitability.

Study Considers Whether New Transit Gentrifies Low-Income Communities, Finds No Significant Impacts.

Study Considers Whether New Transit Gentrifies Low-Income Communities, Finds No Significant Impacts.

Transit is an invaluable resource in low- and moderate-income communities, connecting residents to job centers and services that may otherwise be inaccessible without a car. However, there are concerns that significant investments in transit, particularly rail transit, may increase property values and displacement pressures on area residents.

Springfield Strategic Housing Plan Underway; GOPC Completes Residential Survey for Community Engagement

The City of Springfield has contracted GOPC to assist in the facilitation and creation of a multi-year strategic plan for housing. The strategic plan will address housing of all types, for all residents, in all parts of the city. This strategic housing plan is designed to be actionable, and forward-looking to address the present and future housing needs of residents.

In April, GOPC launched a communitywide survey on ThisIsourField.Com – the city’s online engagement platform to interact with residents. More than 500 participants completed the survey, which included property owners and renters who reside in the City of Springfield.

The results of the survey will assist GOPC in the next step to create actionable recommendations and strategies for community leaders to thoughtfully plan for the current and future housing needs in Springfield. The full results of the survey will be made available on ThisIsOurField.com.

More than half of participants who completed the survey identified they are happy in their current residence; and of those searching for a new home, nearly half indicated they believe they can find it in Springfield. Participants indicated the sense of community, safety, and good location as indicators for quality of neighborhoods in Springfield.

Like many other Legacy City communities in Ohio, housing cost-burden impacts Springfielders. GOPC’s research in the 2019 Comprehensive Housing Analysis identified the cost-burden to owners and renters. The April 2021 provides additional insights to GOPC on the issue of cost-burden, and the health of the market-rate and affordable housing for those who live in Springfield.

This summer, GOPC will facilitate the creation of the multi-year strategic plan for Springfield. These recommendations and strategies will be presented in late summer/early Fall to the community and Commissioners in the City.

Housing has been a top policy priority in Springfield for local leaders – both through policy implementation and in the convening of the Springfield Housing Consortium. The Housing Consortium is a group of leaders from public, private, philanthropic, and financial institutions who are working together to address the housing needs of Springfield’s residents.

GOPC Facilitating Strategic Plan for Housing in Springfield; Communitywide Survey Underway

GOPC Facilitating Strategic Plan for Housing in Springfield; Communitywide Survey Underway

This week, GOPC launched a communitywide survey on ThisIsourField.Com – the city’s online engagement platform to interact with residents. This communitywide survey is a crucial piece to GOPC’s development of the strategic plan.