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Urban/Suburban Affordability Index

24 March 2010 6 Comments

Check out this neat site that shows the relative affordability of the city verses the suburbs by calculating housing plus transportation costs.

Here we have Cleveburg:

htcleveland2

Did you know that transportation costs represent the number two household expense for most Americans and that US homeowners consistently underestimate their transportation expenses?

This a timely post because the federal government recently began working to include transportation costs in its housing affordability index, according to  Streetsblog. This is part of the President’s Building Sustainable Communities initiative.

Pittsburgh:

htpittsburgh

Detroit:

htdetroit

-AS

Popularity: 18% [?]

  • http://eachlittleworld.typepad.com LINDA from Each Little Wolrd

    I believe this concept comes from the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago where my friend Nicole Gotthelf works. Yesterday she sent out a message that they were going live with the index and that almost immediately the Times and the Post had picked it up. Great idea and really useful way to look at data.

  • Jim

    Wow! You mean the cost of housing plus transportation is actually HIGHER in areas where richer people live than it is where poorer people live? Go figure!

  • Neil

    Jim – not everyone in the exurbs is rich. I’d bet in a lot of the rural/exurban parts on those maps, working people are driving farther and farther to find available jobs.

  • schmange

    Furthermore, are you really still rich if you’re in over your head on your mortgage and meanwhile you’re getting socked over the head on gas, insurance, maintenance, ect.?

  • http://diggingpitt.blogspot.com/ John Morris

    Slightly off the subject.

    “Good news, odds are very high that some kind of Jane’s Walk will happen in Pittsburgh because at least one other very serious person is willing to work to put this together. Likely, I will be guiding or co-guiding at least part of it.

    Stay tuned here for more info and also look for updates here.
    http://janeswalkusa.wordpress.com/cities-and-schedules/

    Interested in helping–guiding in Pittsburgh. Email me, diggingpitt@gmail.com ASAP

    From what I can tell so far, fewer cities in the U.S. are doing this than last year, but a good number of these are hosting multiple walks, or rides or other related events.

    Also, I think a lot of things will likely pop up in new cities and be listed in the next few days.

    Still, no word on progress in Cleveland, but we know people were very interested in the idea on Rust Wire. Momentum and real progress will come for much more activity next year.”

    I hate to put this bluntly but from what I can tell, Cleveland really, really needs to get going on this, even if all you do is start planning for next year.

  • http://www.cnt.org/news/2010/04/07/cnt-press-mentions-march-2010/ CNT Press Mentions March 2010 : Center for Neighborhood Technology

    [...] Easy Being Green: Rail Transport Picks Up Speed Center for American Progress – March 24, 2010 Urban/Suburban Affordability Index Rustwire – March 24, 2010 Affordable Housing: Now with Center for Neighborhood Technology [...]