Chapter 8
Housing affordability defined as greater than 30% of median household income.
Housing adequacy refers to physical conditions of housing.
Housing availability defined by quantity of housing stock by type.
Housing accessibility defined as barriers to housing.
Most communities are segregated by race and income. There are three key measures of
geographic variation by race: unevenness, isolation, and clustering.
The most common measure of segregation is the index of dissimilarity. It ranges from 0–100
and tells you what percentage of a racial group must move to achieve equal distribution across
space.
beliefs, personal appearance, military record, or student status.
Many of these restrictions do not apply to senior citizen housing, group homes, or units owned
by religious organizations.
Some additional government programs that focus on housing are:
Section 8—subsidy for rent.
Discussion Questions
Ch. 8
1. Think about new housing construction in your community. How much of this construction
will be affordable for low-income families? What other options do low-income families have
for housing in your community?
2. Why do you think most people prefer to live around people that look like they do? How can
we promote more diverse neighborhoods?
3. Discuss the chief advantages and disadvantages of gentrification. What are some policy tools