Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
Name	Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
Formation	1970
Headquarters	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Leader title	Director
Leader name	Christopher Herbert
Parent organization	Harvard University

Contents

Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University is a research center within Harvard University that studies housing markets, housing policy, and demographic change affecting residential patterns across the United States. The Center produces quantitative analysis, policy-relevant reports, and data tools that inform stakeholders including municipal officials in Boston, state agencies in Massachusetts, nonprofit developers such as Habitat for Humanity International, philanthropic organizations like the Ford Foundation, and federal entities including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Reserve Board. Its work intersects with scholars and practitioners affiliated with institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Michigan.

History

The Center was established in 1970 amid policy debates shaped by events including the Great Migration aftermath, the postwar suburbanization era, and legislative milestones such as the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Early collaborators included researchers from Harvard Kennedy School, faculty associated with the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and demographers from the United States Census Bureau. Over subsequent decades the Center’s timeline features engagements during the Savings and Loan crisis, analyses that informed responses to the 2008 financial crisis, and contributions to recovery planning after disasters like Hurricane Katrina. Directors and affiliated scholars have interacted with policymakers from the United States Congress, advisors to Presidents, and leaders at institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The Center’s mission emphasizes rigorous study of housing affordability, housing finance, demographic change, and neighborhood dynamics, connecting to practitioners in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and smaller jurisdictions like Cleveland. Research areas encompass housing supply and demand analyses tied to data from the American Community Survey, mortgage market studies referencing data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and examinations of rental markets with attention to trends documented by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The Center addresses topics such as housing insecurity among populations studied by the Urban Institute, aging and housing linked to work at the AARP, homeownership patterns observed by the National Association of Realtors, and the intersection of housing and public health considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Programs include training and technical assistance for local governments similar to efforts by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, capacity building for community development corporations like Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and collaborative initiatives with housing finance entities such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Initiatives have targeted vacancy mitigation in cities studied by the National League of Cities, preservation strategies akin to work by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and innovations in affordable housing production mirrored by projects from the Enterprise Community Partners and LISC. The Center convenes fellows and visiting scholars from universities including Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and international partners like the London School of Economics.

The Center publishes annual reports and periodic briefs that have become benchmarks for policymakers and researchers, including widely cited analyses comparable to those produced by the Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, and Pew Research Center. Signature publications cover the state of the nation’s housing, housing market indicators, and demographic trends referencing datasets from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Internal Revenue Service. Data tools hosted by the Center provide interactive dashboards and county-level mapping similar in function to resources from Zillow, Redfin, and the National Bureau of Economic Research. The Center’s work is cited in academic journals such as Journal of Housing Economics, Housing Policy Debate, and policy outlets including reports from the Office of Management and Budget.

Partnerships span municipal agencies like the Boston Planning & Development Agency, state housing finance agencies in California, New York, and Texas, as well as nonprofit coalitions including the National Housing Conference and research consortia such as the Lincoln Land Institute and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The Center’s analyses have influenced legislation deliberated in the United States Senate and local zoning reforms in cities like Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon. Its stakeholder network includes lenders such as Wells Fargo, nonprofit providers like Mercy Housing, and multilateral actors such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Impact can be traced through citations in agency rulemakings by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and program designs by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Organizationally the Center integrates faculty affiliates from schools across Harvard University—including the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Law School—and houses research staff, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral affiliates drawn from institutions like Northwestern University and Duke University. Funding sources combine philanthropic grants from foundations such as the MacArthur Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, corporate support from financial institutions including Goldman Sachs and Bank of America, and competitive research awards from agencies like the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. Governance includes advisory boards with members from organizations such as the Urban Institute, Enterprise Community Partners, and academic partners at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Category:Harvard University research centers