On November 28, professor Barry Bluestone and SPPUA research assistant James Huessy released the 15th annual edition of the Greater Boston Housing Report Card at a Boston Foundation forum attended by more than 300 guests. This annual report, first introduced in 2002, tracks the strength of the overall economy; the sales, production, prices and rents for housing in Greater Boston as well as state and local public policy aimed at meeting the region’s housing needs.
The 2017 report, “Ideas from the Core: Responsive Development as a Model for Regional Growth,” finds that income inequality continues to slow housing growth even though Boston is setting an example for getting multi-unit housing permitted and built. This year’s report is unique in being the first to lay out in detail a 10-step program for the development of “21st Century Villages,” a housing typography specifically aimed at meeting the needs of the new demography of the region focused on millennials, working families, and seniors.
