Housing policies are central to the inclusiveness of a city. They define how residents share the wealth created by a city and how they access its assets and amenities. Public policies that control the housing supply and public investments in amenities and services such as schools, transportation, and infrastructure can play roles as strong as private wealth in defining the demographic make-up of the city. Population growth and demographic changes play out through the housing market and, when the housing is constrained, these forces further amplify gentrification, economic segregation, and displacement.
Our work on housing focuses on the relationship between housing policy and opportunity, examining how housing policies shape the District of Columbia, and how they can be improved to create a more vibrant city.
On September 24, 2024, Director of Policy and Research Emilia Calma submitted written testimony to the D.C. Council Committee on Housing. Her testimony focuses on housing as an economic development strategy.
HOUSING POLICY INITIATIVE
2-year research agenda
Leave a voicemail for the D.C. Policy Center at (202) 223-2233, email us at contact@dcpolicycenter.org, or click any individual staff member for their email address.
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These staff members are at the core of our housing research.
Our research is guided by a group of professionals and researchers with deep knowledge of D.C.’s housing market and programs.
Emily Hamilton
Mercatus Center
Stephanie Liotta-Atkinson
Midcity
Tom Skinner
Redbrick
David Roodberg
Menkiti Group
Jamie Weinbaum
Horning
Good morning, Chairman White, and members of the Committee. My name is Emilia Calma, and I am the Director of Research and Policy of the D.C. Policy Center—an independent non-partisan …
Good afternoon, Chairman White, and members of the Committee on Housing. My name is Yesim Sayin, and I am the Executive Director of the D.C. Policy Center—an independent non-partisan think …
Good morning, Chairman White, and members of the Committee. My name is Emilia Calma, and I am the Director of Research and Policy of the D.C. Policy Center—an independent non-partisan …
The discussion of affordable housing and housing affordability continue to be central to budgeting and policymaking in the District of Columbia. Persistent challenges in housing production have expanded the affordability …
Other reports in this series Introduction Essential workers in the District of Columbia provide critical services for the city’s functionality and residents’ well-being. They include medical professionals, teachers, early childhood …
The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way in which people choose where to work and live. It used to be that residents came to D.C. for employment and then …