State and Regional Tools for Coordinating Housing and Transportation

Federal, state, and local governments spend billions on transportation infrastructure and affordable housing subsidies, but rarely with complete coordination. States and regional entities are pivotal in shaping transportation and housing systems. State agencies not only spend state-generated revenue but also frequently determine how federal resources are allocated. The largest federal subsidy for affordable, rental housing is the low-income housing tax credit program, but states largely determine the allocation of these credits. With increasing attention on the need to combine affordable housing with mobility options, this report examines which states have incorporated transit proximity into their allocation of low-income housing tax credits. In addition, the report also reviews to what extent low-income residential patterns are included in federally required, regional transportation planning. The authors find that most states address transportation in their allocation of low-income housing tax credits, with the most common transportation criterion being proximity to transit (e.g., whether a development was .25 or .5 miles from transit). Across metropolitan areas, the scan of regional plan documents revealed inconsistent consideration of the residential locations of low-income households. In both policy areas, the authors thus observe some attention to the relationship between housing location (for low-income households) and transportation systems. The steps toward integration are still new, without documented efficacy, and even with initial progress and attention across spheres, integration challenges may remain.

• Record URL:
  http://swutc.tamu.edu/publications/technicalreports/600451-00107-1.pdf
• Summary URL:
  https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/Presto/catalogid=32599
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program. Project title: States’ Tools for Connecting Transportation and Affordable Housing.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of New Orleans

  Transportation Institute, 2000 Lakeshore Drive
  New Orleans, LA  United States  70148

  Southwest Region University Transportation Center

  Texas A&M University
  3135 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Nishawala, Akul
  • Lowe, Kate
  • Nelson, Marla
• Publication Date: 2014-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 39p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Low income groups; Policy; Public transit; Regional planning; Residential location; States
• Identifier Terms: Low Income Housing Tax Credits
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01526323
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: SWUTC/14/600451-00107-1, 600451-00107-1
• Contract Numbers: DTRT12-G-UTC06
• Files: UTC, TRIS, RITA, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: May 28 2014 3:26PM