The Affordability Index: A New Tool For Measuring the Affordability of a Housing Choice
"The Affordability Index: A New Tool for Measuring the True Affordability of a Housing Choice" is a report written by the Center for Transit-Oriented Development. The report introduces the Housing and Transportation (H+T) Affordability Index tool for measuring location efficiency developed by the Center for Neighborhood Technology. This report provides background on how the H+T Affordability Index was developed, walks the reader through an analysis of Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN as a case study and provides common policy recommendations for application of principles of location efficiency.
This report is a great resource for those interested in the practical applicability of the H+T Affordability Index. The H+T Affordability Index, as shown through this report, encourages city planners and other community development agencies to broaden their ideas of housing affordability by factoring in transportation costs. Creating walkable, transit-friendly communities reduces the burden upon residents to own and maintain private vehicles. Residents of these location-efficient communities are able to access places of employment, stores and services by walking, biking and using public transit, saving time and money, as well as reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
