Keep Me Informed

All Tools

All Tools

Affordable Housing Development 101

Based on a workshop, this is an umbrella tool that introduces advocates to affordable housing strategies and helps them match their goals with appropriate tools. (written 9/02, updated 1/07)

Community Strategies to Prevent Asthma

Strategies and resources for improving air quality in homes, in schools, and outdoors. (written 12/08)

Brownfields

Encourage redevelopment of brownfields (abandoned, idled, or underutilized commercial or industrial sites). (written 7/03)

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CDCs with Resident Shareholders

Offers low-income residents the opportunity to own equity in real estate projects spearheaded by community development corporations (CDCs). (written 11/01)

Code Enforcement

Can be an important tool for protecting tenants. (written 3/02)

Commercial Linkage Strategies

A range of programs and fees that tie economic development to the construction of affordable housing. (written 7/02)

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Commercial Stabilization

Effective techniques employed by community-based organizations to preserve cultural organizations and longstanding commercial enterprises that define the historic character of communities. (written 7/02)

Resident-Owned CDFIs

Resident-owned community financial institutions build assets for low-income residents and provide them with a stronger voice in neighborhood development and revitalization. (written 6/02)

Community Land Trusts

This alternative property ownership model encourages permanent affordability and wealth-building.(written 6/01)

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Community Mapping

Mapping can be used to advocate for community benefits, convey development opportunities, track vacant properties, and more. (written 4/02)

Community Reinvestment Act

Congressional mandate that financial institutions help meet credit needs of the communities in which they operate, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. (written 11/01)

Cooperative Ownership Models

Co-op models targeted to low- income residents can offer financial benefits, business skills, and experience in running a democratically- controlled enterprise. (written 2/02)

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Developer Exactions

Requires new commercial developments to contribute fees to the development of affordable housing, community services and infrastructure. (written 2/02)

Employer-Assisted Housing

Most EAH programs help employees purchase homes—often near their workplace. They can provide rental assistance or increase the housing in the surrounding community affordable for an employer's workers. (written 10/07)

Expiring Use: Retention of Subsidized Housing

Preserve affordable rental units by protecting subsidized housing units with expiring contracts. (written 8/02)

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Foreclosed Properties

Use this tool to steer neighborhoods back to sustainable recovery after foreclosure processes are well underway. (written 7/09)

Healthy Food Retailing

Strategies to increase access to retail outlets that sell nutritious, affordable food in underserved low-income urban and rural communities. (written 8/05)

Housing Trust Funds

Public funds, established by legislation, ordinance or resolution, to receive specific revenues dedicated to affordable housing development. (written 6/01)

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Inclusionary Zoning

Land use regulation mandating a percentage (usually 15-20%) of the housing units in all larger projects be affordable to people of low and moderate incomes. (written in 2003)

Infill Incentives

Infill incentives can produce new housing units, reduce blight, preserve open space, reduce traffic, and encourage retail development that serves the needs of existing residents. (written 3/02)

Just Cause Eviction Controls

Implement these laws to protect renters against being unfairly evicted by landlords who want to capitalize on the explosive rental and housing markets. (written 3/02)

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Limited Equity Housing Cooperatives

A partnership in which residents collectively own and control their housing. (written 7/01)

Living Wage Provisions

Ordinances that ensure the employees of public contractors, private contractors receiving public sector funding, and public employees are paid wages at pace with regional cost of living measures. (written 12/01)

Local Hiring

An array of strategies that connect economically marginalized communities to regional job opportunities. (written 8/02)

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Minority Contracting

Ensures that healthy local businesses owned by people of color are a basic component of strong, sustainable communities.(written 12/03)

Real Estate Transfer Taxes

Techniques through which tax regulations can limit two destabilizing practices in low- and moderate-income communities: delinquency and speculation. (written 1/03)

Rent Controls

Protections to slow the pace of rapidly escalating rental prices. (written 12/01)

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Transit Oriented Development

How to implement TOD -- compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented communities located around new or existing public transit stations -- in a way that achieves equity goals. (written 4/08)

Urban Greening

Coming soon!

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