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Innovation Talks

Housing Challenges and Solutions

Planning Alchemy: Turning Insights into Homes and Well-Being

Monday, March 31, 2025
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM MT
Location: 607
CM: .25
The United States is facing a historic housing crisis characterized by rising rents, shrinking homeownership among the middle class, and severe cost burdens affecting millions. Addressing these issues requires innovative, data-driven solutions, with housing needs assessments (HNAs) at the forefront.

An HNA provides a comprehensive analysis of a community’s housing needs by examining demographic data, economic trends, housing inventory, policies, and community services. It identifies the demand for various housing types, from rentals to for-sale units, across different price points and diverse populations, including families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities.

In Massachusetts, tools like DataTown and TODEX demonstrate effective data use. DataTown offers insights into housing and demographic information across 351 communities, while TODEX assesses densities around transit stations to guide transit-oriented development. These tools showcase how data can shape housing strategies and pinpoint where new developments are needed.

This presentation focuses on converting data into actionable insights to tackle affordability, enhance fair housing practices, and improve community well-being. Learn to use visualization tools such as heat maps, integrate health data into planning, and utilize real-time data dashboards and community feedback tools to improve housing policy and planning.

Learning Objectives:

  • Learn the fundamentals of housing needs and demand assessments: what they are, why they matter, key components, and how to evaluate data for current and future housing needs.
  • Incorporate health data into housing planning by analyzing chronic illness, health care access, and environmental factors in order to address health disparities and improve community outcomes.
  • Create a step-by-step housing plan, shape policies with data-driven insights, engage developers, and explore tools for ongoing analysis and public-private partnerships to achieve and track housing goals.