Managing the existing housing stock: prospects and problems

Ira S. Lowry

ResearchPublished 1982

Dwellings that now exist will house over three-fourths of all Americans at the end of this century. How well this inventory is managed will have more effect on housing quality over the next 20 years than will new residential construction, which annually averages about 2 percent of the inventory. In growing regions, the private market will respond quickly to increased demand for housing by peripheral development and selective improvements in central areas. Outcomes could perhaps be improved by public intervention to force more compact peripheral development and to facilitate recycling urban single-family houses, now occupied by elderly persons, into family use. Overall growth in inventory will help adapt it to current preferences. Declining regions will have a general surplus of housing concentrated in their central cities. Two kinds of public intervention would help these housing markets adjust to their prospects: demolishing the redundant stock, and subsidizing rents for low-income households.

Order a Print Copy

Format
Paperback
Page count
23 pages
List Price
$20.00
Buy link
Add to Cart

Document Details

  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 1982
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 23
  • Paperback Price: $20.00
  • Document Number: P-6731

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Lowry, Ira S., Managing the existing housing stock: prospects and problems, RAND Corporation, P-6731, 1982. As of September 12, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6731.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Lowry, Ira S., Managing the existing housing stock: prospects and problems. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1982. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6731.html. Also available in print form.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.