Closing Housing Gaps:

The City of Austin, TX

Overview

The City of Austin hired BBC’s Housing and Community Development team to update the comprehensive housing market study we conducted in 2008. Through the update, the City’s objective was to produce a sound approach for setting affordable housing goals, identify housing needs by neighborhood, and determine the greatest housing challenges of targeted populations.

 

Reaching a diverse set of residents was of utmost importance to the city. In developing the study, we talked with residents in East Austin about the effects of gentrification on their neighborhood, surveyed in-commuters about their desire to relocate into the city, and held focus groups with seniors and persons with disabilities.

 

Our study determines where middle-income renters have the most difficulty finding homes to buy; estimates the number of households needing rental assistance; and recommends housing affordability goals for the city.

Community Engagement

Housing Market Studies

Strategic Planning

Outcomes

Comprehensive Community Engagement: 5,315 residents and 943 commuters responded to the housing survey, representing the racial, ethnic, and income diversity of Austin.

 

Comprehensive Housing Market Assessment: Access the analysis here.

 

Neighborhood-Level Analysis: A key component of our study was development of a ZIP-code level housing model that assesses availability of rental and homeownership housing for employees of key employment industries. Access the analysis here.

 

Policy Change: Austin City Council passed a resolution in December 2015 directing the city to identify innovative housing options that can serve middle income families in a range of sizes. BBC’s Housing Market Assessment has informed the City of Austin’s first Strategic Housing Plan set for Council adoption in 2017.

Survey Results At-A-Glance

5,315 Austin resident responses

943 In-commuter responses

  • White

  • Hispanic

  • African American

  • Asian

  • Asian Indian

Have children under age 18 (1,190)0%

Homeowners (3,509)0%

Income less than $25,000 (325)0%

Have a member with a disability (494)0%

Practice Area Leaders

Heidi Aggeler

Managing Director
303.321.2547 x256
haggeler@bbcresearch.com

Mollie Fitzpatrick

Director
303.321.2547 x239
mfitzpatrick@bbcresearch.com

Jen Garner

Senior Consultant
303.321.2547 x236
jgarner@bbcresearch.com