Commentary: How Data Architects Are Crafting Equitable Housing Policy Research

Matthew Murphy
NYU Furman Center

Nationwide, tools are surfacing to bridge knowledge gaps and deepen our comprehension of the effects of historical and recently changed housing policies. However, housing researchers, along with state and municipal governments, face a key and somewhat insurmountable challenge: insufficient data infrastructure to study housing policy comprehensively. To fill the gap, researchers are developing new methods to link together fragmented datasets to tell a more comprehensive story. Where data exist, researchers are refining the use of emerging technologies to avoid past pitfalls, such as racial biases. A focus has also been placed on pivotal housing justice concepts, like understanding the extent of the shift toward corporate ownership of America’s rental properties, beyond public records.