Call for Papers

In Spring 2012, the Office of Policy Development & Research, Department of Housing and Urban Development, will host a the 2nd Annual American Housing Survey User Conference. The purpose of the user conference is to highlight recent research results based on American Housing Survey (AHS) data.

The AHS is the most thorough look at American’s homes and reveals everything from the square footage of the unit to how many homes have front porches, garages, or even usable fireplaces. First conducted in 1973, the survey's long-term design allows analysts to trace the characteristics of U.S. housing units and their occupants. The 2009 AHS also included data on disability status of household members.

To inform this conference, we invite scholars to propose research papers that apply the special features of the AHS datasets to issues of current interest. Approximately 12 papers will be selected for presentation at the conference, which will be held in Washington, DC. We are seeking a broad range of proposals that build on existing work, explore new approaches or issues, and recommend ways to improve the AHS survey instrument. We actively encourage creative applications of AHS data to new issues.

Special consideration will be given for research papers with one of the following characteristics:

• Merges additional geographic identifiers to the AHS to provide quantitative insights into previously unexplored geographic subgroups.
• Utilizes special supplements to the 2009 AHS, including the New Orleans special survey, the new disability questions, or the Seattle Metro survey.
• Utilizes the longitundal structure of the AHS to link respondents through successive survey years.
• Compares AHS estimates with corresponding American Community Survey estimates and explores differences between the two surveys.

For details about how to submit an abstract, click here. The deadline for submission is August 31, 2011.