An assessment of choice and delivery in central urban areas: Case studies of sustained housing affordability in two large Texas cities

The recent focus on sustainable development, for the present and future generations has been discussed in depth after the 1987 Brundtland Report and the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. In these reports, environmental, economic, and social equity are the agreed upon "three pillars" of sustainable development, more commonly known as the "Three Es" of sustainability. However, the missing "equity" component has diminished the level of sustainability in the built environment. Policy makers and planners, at the state and local levels of government, who implement socially inclusive growth development policies, still fall short in creating sustainable housing for the more moderate income groups. This has resulted in social injustices and inequities based on the decrease in the net number of affordable units.;This research addresses a serious housing problem nationwide faced by low and moderate income households with obtaining affordable rental units or homeownership, especially in the central urban areas (CUAs). This research also investigates this trend over a thirty year time period, starting in 1980, with a focus on two major Texas cities (Houston and Dallas, which are comparable to other major U.S. cities) to identify and assess the differences, as they have evolved, in each city's built environment.;A mixed method approach was designed to measure how much equity has been gained or lost by quantifying and measuring housing affordability over time. Using a housing affordability ratio (housing cost/ family household income) as the dependent variable for measurement, a principal component factor analysis and a step-wise regression analysis was utilized. Data sets were created in the GIS platform. Regression models were chosen for a central urban comparative of each city's independent factors as contributors of housing affordability. A content analysis was also used to establish what was the most important and consistent language used in the consolidated plans, from both cities, over the 30 year time period.;This research shows the development and testing of an assessment model for housing affordability over time (sustained housing affordability) to add to the lack of discussion regarding the equity component of sustainable housing development.