I'm Moving Out: Housing Displacement and the Fight for Affordable Housing In Austin,TX
Date
2021-05
Authors
Moloney, Patrick Aloysius
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Affordable housing and housing displacement are current policy problems facing the city of Austin as it continues to grow. Housing displacement can be defined in multiple contexts, but is most typified in East Austin by continued rising costs-of-living and forced migration to cheaper areas. Many policy solutions exist that may alleviate the issues of housing displacement. This paper proposes and analyses one policy solution to create affordable housing and mitigate housing displacement. The research in this policy document is laid out into two chapters. The first chapter explores the history and contemporary conditions that contextualize the underlying problems of affordable housing in Austin. The second chapter explores the policy solution which proposes expanding Community Land Trusts (CLT) in Austin. CLTs are defined as a nonprofit corporation holding ownership of community land, leasing the land to residents, and developing perpetually affordable housing for low- and middle-income individuals. This paper recognizes the impact that housing policy has on marginalized communities, like East Austin, and works to present a policy solution that may create avenues for intergenerational wealth transfers. This policy analysis finds that by creating pathways for homeownership, housing displacement that disproportionally impacts minority communities in East Austin may be mitigated. My final conclusion as a researcher shows that expansion of CLTs, in coordination with other affordable housing policies, will alleviate issues of current housing displacement in Austin, TX.
Description
Keywords
affordable housing, housing policy, Austin, housing displacement, urban policy, Honors College
Citation
Moloney, P. A. (2021). I'm moving out: Housing displacement and the fight for affordable housing In Austin,TX (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.