Dear friend,

Welcome to Frontier, the monthly newsletter from the Future of Land and Housing Program at New America. This month, we continued our research on access to homeownership in North Carolina, and furthered the development of the eviction and foreclosure data tool for local jurisdictions. We also explored the impact of short-term rentals on affordable housing in Arizona, as well as land formalization processes for low-income families in Colombia.

Here's what else we've been up to:

What We're Doing

Using Local Data to Drive Housing Loss Decision-Making

Over the next six months, FLH is partnering with DataKind and 14 cities and counties to create a publicly-available tool that allows local leaders to analyze and generate insights on eviction and foreclosures within their own communities. Our goal is to enhance the capacity of U.S. cities and counties to assess where evictions and foreclosures are most acute, when home loss occurs during the year, and who is most at risk. The 14 partner sites will help develop and test the tool, in order to ensure that it's accessible and useful. Learn more at the project webpage here. 

FLH senior policy analyst Sabiha Zainulbhai introduced a new, related blog series, "Data to Drive Housing Loss Decision-Making," which will chronicle the development of the tool and insights from these cities and counties as they navigate the intricacies of data collection, analysis, and implementation. 

In the Banking Capital of the South, Some Communities Find Challenges in Accessing Mortgage Loans

Low-cost homes are an important gateway to homeownership for low- to moderate-income households. Previous research shows that mortgage applications for these relatively budget-friendly homes are denied at a higher rate than those for more expensive properties. But are there regions and neighborhoods at the state and county-level that experience chronically higher denial rates for small-dollar mortgage loans? 

FLH intern Leonardo Torres presents some preliminary findings on the FLH Blog, building on our broader research on small-dollar mortgages in North Carolina.

Thick Ice is Starving Arctic Reindeer

Climate change is threatening the survival of Arctic reindeer, the land they roam, and livelihoods for Indigenous herders, who rely on the animals for nearly every basic need. So how can Arctic governments best implement land use and resource management strategies for the long-term? And how can these solutions ensure that reindeer herders retain their traditions while also adapting to a warmer world?

As part of a series on climate change, property rights and the Arctic, FLH intern Gabriella Gricius-Abbott discusses the crisis for the FLH Blog, noting that successful responses to climate-related issues in the Arctic can provide insights on how to protect other fragile ecosystems.

What We're Reading

Below FLH staff share an article or resource that has stood out to them lately. If so inclined, please share what you've been reading with us. We'll include it in our next newsletter or on Twitter!

Sabiha Zainulbhai: Out of Reach 2021: The High Cost of Housing

Each year, the National Low Income Housing Coalition calculates the gap between actual wages and what people need to earn to afford rent at the national and local level. And year after year, the results are no less shocking. In 2021, an average full-time worker in the U.S. must earn $20.40 an hour to afford rent for a modest, one-bedroom home (the federal minimum wage is $7.25). In the District of Columbia, where I live, a minimum wage worker needs to work at least two full time jobs to afford their rent. How do wages and housing prices stack up where you live? 

Tim Robustelli: Denmark Expanding ‘Ghetto’ Housing Policy That Drew Accusation of Racism 

The U.S. continues to grapple with the consequences of racially-motivated housing policy—but it’s not alone. In Denmark, for example, the government is attempting to reduce concentration of “non-Western” residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The policy’s critics claim that the evictions are motivated by racism and xenophobia.

Gabriella Gricius-Abbott: Will dams spoil one of Europe’s last wild rivers 

The Vjosa River in the Balkans, one of last free-flowing European rivers, is facing threats from the construction of dams and hydropower plants. Such developments could have devastating ecological consequences for one of Europe’s more biodiverse regions. What are the risks at hand and how can the biodiversity of the Vjosa River remain protected?

Leonardo Torres: Will Biden’s highway removal plan improve health of cities? 

Amidst infrastructure talks in Congress, a new urban renewal movement has emerged with one goal: removing polluting highways built in the '60s and '70s on top of primarily low-income communities of color. But as highways come down, many neighborhoods are experiencing a "greening effect"—where improvements intended to benefit residents' well-being lead to spiking property values. Is highway removal in ways that make cities healthier, while mitigating further harm to existing residents, actually possible?

Thoughts on our work or where we're headed? Reach out to us at FLH@NewAmerica.org or tag us at @FLHatNewAmerica.

Until next month, the FLH Team.

About New America

New America is dedicated to renewing the promise of America, bringing us closer to our nation’s highest ideals. We’re a different kind of think tank: one dedicated to public problem solving. Our team of visionary researchers, changemakers, technologists, and storytellers study and seize the opportunities presented by dramatic social and technological change. We search for powerful ideas, wherever they are, and collaborate with civic innovators around the world to develop evidence-based solutions.

The Future of Land and Housing Program at New America aims to help solve today’s property rights challenges, both at home and abroad. Through our research, writing, and convening, we strive to connect new constituencies and shed light on underreported issues in the property rights space.

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