Evidence Matters: Spring/Summer 2019

September 17, 2019  

Evidence Matters: Spring/Summer 2019

The Spring/Summer 2019 issue of Evidence Matters: Transforming Knowledge Into Housing and Community Development Policy, which focuses on place-based, tax-incentivized economic and community development, is now available. This issue reviews research on the efficacy of past place-based initiatives; introduces Opportunity Zones, which were created through the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and represent the latest effort to encourage development of distressed areas through tax incentives; discusses methodological challenges to evaluating place-based tax incentives; and examines the strategies of five states and cities to ensure the success of Opportunity Zones.

Key Findings:

• Past place-based tax incentives have attempted to promote broad economic development by directing capital to low-income areas, and Opportunity Zones build on lessons from those efforts.
• An ongoing challenge in evaluating programs similar in nature to Opportunity Zones is the difficulty in isolating the effect of zone designation on housing prices and job growth.
• State and local governments can play supportive and coordinating roles to help ensure that Opportunity Zone investments flow to distressed communities.

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