This study reviews how large central cities and suburban jurisdictions in six metropolitan areas with very diverse housing markets undertook housing needs analysis and priority and strategy development for housing plans during the 1990s. It then examines what actual housing implementation occurred during that time period and how the needs for affordable housing changed. Appendices include site-by-site data tabulations.

For federal policymakers, this report makes four key recommendations for improving the Consolidated Plan process. The recommendations relate to timeliness of data, the comprehensive nature of the plan, PHA participation, and activity reports. These recommendations will be taken into account as the Department proceeds to make the Consolidated Plan easier to prepare and more effective at guiding program implementation.

This report continues a 25-year PD&R tradition of conducting research on housing planning requirements. It complements Analysis of State Qualified Allocations Plans for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program, a report being published simultaneously. Both reports examine the implementation of federally mandated planning requirements in the 1990s. This report looks at locally prepared Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategies (CHAS)/Consolidated Plans that carry out the purposes of the National Affordable Housing Act, while the other looks at state prepared Qualified Allocation Plans (QAPs) for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program.

Planning to Meet Local Housing Needs: The Role of HUD's Consolidated Planning Requirements in the 1990s should be useful to both local governments and federal policymakers. The release of this report coincides with the availability of new housing needs data from the Census 2000, thus offering guidance to local governments on how they might effectively implement their housing strategies at the same time that they have current needs data to update those strategies. It also comes at a fortuitous time for federal policymakers, as we consider ways to make the Consolidated Plan less burdensome and more useful.