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RE: Time is Running Out to Make Your Voice Heard - 13

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I usually do not comment on the AHS as I this is not my area of expertise, but this email raises an important point. As a planner in Cambridge, Mass I find we are always struggling with the effect on the housing market created by the large number of students living in the community. Being able to distinguish households by student affiliation would be very helpful. I would add distinguishing off-campus housing owned by colleges and universities to the list of useful characteristics to survey.

The point about the distorting effects of large numbers of off-campus students on the poverty rate is well taken. Using PUMS data for 2008-10, the poverty rate for individuals drops from 14.6% to 8.5% once students are subtracted from the population. My understanding is that similar effects are often found in other college towns.

Cliff Cook
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Planning Information Manager
Cambridge Community Development Dept.
344 Broadway
Cambridge, MA. 02139
617/349-4656 FAX 617/349-4669 TTY 617/349-4621
Email => ccook@cambridgema.gov
Web site => http://www.cambridgema.gov/cdd/

    I have not been following all the emails, but when I saw this one I thought I would respond.

    “Dormitories and such are group quarters, and thus out of scope for the AHS. Off-campus apartments are housing units and would be in scope. We do have a category of occupancy called “usual residence elsewhere,” which would include students living in apartments who did not consider the unit to be their permanent residence. However, we don’t ask specifically if occupants are students. Do you think that this would be useful to ask?”

    Having data on where college students reside would be an excellent addition. A lot of neighborhood and community planning goes on around off-campus housing that could benefit from this data. This data would also be of use to college campus planners. One question that always arises is the issue of income (poverty) and the ability to distinguish between housing units comprised entirely (or primarily) of students and other types of units (families, individuals, groups of non-students). Being able to distinguish these types of units would be helpful in understanding neighborhood poverty concentration as well as student concentration in neighborhoods. Other information, such as rent levels and unit turnover that distinguishes student housing from other types would also be of interest.

    Rosalind Kotz
    kotzr@nycap.rr.com
    518-631-9401

 

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