Spatial Dynamics and Housing Markets in the U.S

University Of Cincinnati Main Campus, Cincinnati OH

Investigators

Abstract

SES-1226858 Jeffrey Timberlake University of Cincinnati Abstract Spatial Dynamics and Housing Markets in the U.S. Existing research shows that the quality of life urban residents experience varies significantly within and across U.S. metropolitan areas. In other words, people's health, well-being, and chances for prosperity depend on where they live. Nowadays, there is widespread consensus among scholars and urban planners that, while individuals clearly have choices in where to seek housing, those choices are often constrained. On the one hand, research has focused on how, for example, racial and ethnic group differences in resources and preferences play a role in persistent residential segregation patterns at the neighborhood level. On the other hand, few empirical studies have examined what shapes persistent spatial dynamics in housing markets at the metropolitan level. Put differently, we know a lot more about what shapes differences in quality of life within metropolitan areas than across them. To that end, this project uses audit data from the 1989, 2000, and 2010 waves of the Housing Discrimination Study, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The PIs merge these data to tract- and metro-level information from the 1980 to 2010 U.S. Censuses and the 2006 to 2010 American Community Survey to examine how metro-level housing market dynamics shape contemporary residential patterns, as well as changes in housing patterns since the 1980s. Broader Impacts This timely study seeks to inform understanding of housing patterns in U.S. cities, many of which have experienced significant changes since 1980, and in particular since the recent housing crisis. Findings may be of interest to the general public (lenders, owners, renters, advocacy groups) and policy makers. In addition, the project facilitates student training and data dissemination goals. The project will support a graduate assistant who will be involved in all aspects of data acquisition, analysis, and writing. The research team will disseminate metadata concerning the data set constructed for this study via the Kunz Center for Social Research at the University of Cincinnati, on whose website the team also expects to post relevant policy briefs.