New Cityscape Double Issue Examines Reentry Housing After Jail or Prison and Recent Zoning Reforms

August 08, 2023  

New Cityscape Double Issue Examines Reentry Housing After Jail or Prison and Recent Zoning Reforms

The newest edition of Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research presents two symposia sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The first features research on housing challenges faced by individuals exiting incarceration and programs to help them. The second examines recent changes in zoning.

Symposium: Reentry Housing After Jail or Prison

Guest editor Calvin C.Johnson introduces the symposium on reentry and housing. The articles in this issue provide insight about reentry and housing challenges and programs seeking to improve outcomes for individuals exiting incarceration.

Elizabeth L. Beck, Natasha N. Johnson, Sommer Delgado, Victoria Helmly, Susan A. McLaren, Alice Prendergast, Leigh Alderman, Lorenzo Almada, Brian Bride, Eric Napierala, and William J. Sabol explore formerly incarcerated people's (FIP) access to housing using data from an evaluation of three Second Chance Act grantees. The study highlights the distinctive approaches three programs in three regions have in addressing housing needs.

David S. Kirk reports early outcomes from the Maryland Opportunities through Vouchers Experiment (MOVE), and qualitative comparison of post-release experiences between treatment and control group participants.

Sarah B. Hunter and Stephanie Mercier present an overview of Los Angeles County's first Pay for Success (PFS) initiative, which aimed to provide long-term housing and supportive services as an alternative to jail for individuals with a history of homelessness and chronic health conditions.

Niloufer Taber, Jacqueline Altamirano Marin, and John Bae study the denial of housing to individuals with a conviction history living in Michigan and Oklahoma, highlighting policies that exclude them from renting or joining a lease.

Symposium: Recent Reforms in Zoning

Noah M. Kazis introduces the second symposium, which examines recent efforts to make land-use zoning less restrictive and more conducive to increasing the housing supply.

Nicholas J. Marantz, Christopher S. Elmendorf, and Youjin B. Kim analyze permitting for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in the Bay Area and southern California in the wake of laws adopted to facilitate the development of ADUs.

Paavo Monkkonen, Michael Manville, Michael Lens, Aaron Barrall, and Olivia Arena examine California’s housing planning system and the relationship between housing targets and rezoning, finding that larger increases in targets are associated with more rezoning.

Moira O’Neill and Ivy Wang investigate the impact of California’s Senate Bill 35, which facilitates ministerial approval for development in communities that have failed to meet their housing production targets in prior years.

Jake Wegmann, Aabiya Noman Baqai, and Josh Conrad examine the impact of a 1998 reform in Houston that enabled a boom in townhouse construction and what other localities might expect if they enacted similar reforms.

Leah Brooks and Jenny Schuetz investigate the relationship between increases in infill development in Washington D.C. and zoning changes.

Joseph Weil Huennekens examines the loosening of zoning restrictions in Ramapo, New York over the course of several decades, and finds that the introduction of multifamily zoning can increase housing production.

Jacob Krimmel and Betty Wang analyze the impact of Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability program on new home construction and developer behavior, finding that developers strategically avoided siting projects in areas subject to affordability requirements despite upzoning.

Refereed Papers

This issue of Cityscape includes two refereed papers.

Alastair I. Matheson, Danny V. Colombara, Annie Pennucci, Tyler Shannon, Andy Chan, Megan Suter, and Amy A. Laurent examine the negative and positive factors associated with different types of exits from HUD-supported housing and their implications for policies and programs. Linking data from two large public housing authorities to the information systems of other agencies, the authors found that certain demographics and lived experiences affected the odds of exit. The model in this study in using linked datasets can help PHAs consider factors, such as physical and mental health conditions or previously experiencing homelessness, that impact tenant outcomes.

Brian Y. An, Andrew Jakabovics, Jing Liu, Anthony W. Orlando, Seva Rodnyansky, Richard Voith, Sean Zielenbach, and Raphael W. Bostic study the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program's impact on housing prices in Los Angeles and address concerns about potential negative impacts. Despite critics' suspicions, the research shows that LIHTC-financed properties have positive spillover effects on housing prices in their surrounding communities. The findings can assist policymakers in maximizing the secondary benefits of affordable housing developments.

Departments

Data Shop: A Statistical Machine Learning Approach to Identify Rental Properties From Public Data Sources by Daniel Kuhlmann, Jane Rongerude, Lily Wang, and GuanNan Wang; Veteran and Nonveteran Homelessness Rates: New Estimates by Brent D. Mast

Graphic Detail: Exploring the Relationship Between Child Opportunity and Violent Crime Rates in West Virginia Counties by Brent D. Mast and Tricia Ruiz; Exits From HUD Assistance and Moves to Higher Poverty Neighborhoods Following the Camp Fire by Alexander Din

Industrial Revolution: Hiding in Plain Sight: How Reconsideration of Codes for Existing and Historic Buildings Can Expand Affordable Housing by Marilyn E. Kaplan and Mike Jackson

Policy Briefs: Mortgage Risk and Disparate Impact Associated With Student Debt by Kevin A. Park and Joshua J. Miller

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