Press Releases

Number of Older Adults in the US Expected to Surge, Highlighting Need for Accessible Housing and Policy Improvements

Cambridge, MA – By 2035, more than one in five people in the US will be aged 65 and older and one in three households will be headed by someone in that age group, according to Projections and Implications for Housing a Growing Population: Older Adults 2015-2035, a report released today by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. This growth will increase the demand for affordable, accessible housing that is well connected to services beyond what current supply can meet.

As the Housing Recovery Strengthens, Affordability and Other Challenges Remain. Harvard Research Center Releases The State of the Nation’s Housing 2016

Cambridge, MA and Washington, DC – The national housing market has now regained enough momentum to provide an engine of growth for the US economy, according to the latest The State of the Nation’s Housing report released today by the Joint Center for Housing Studies. Robust rental demand continues to drive the housing expansion, and sales, prices, and new construction of single-family homes are on the rise.

Robust Remodeling Growth Anticipated by Re-Benchmarked LIRA

Cambridge, MA – Strongly accelerating growth in home improvement and repair spending is expected heading into 2017, according to the newly re-benchmarked Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released today by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The new and improved LIRA projects that home remodeling spending will increase 8.6% by the end of 2016 and then further accelerate to 9.7% by the first quarter of next year.

Record Number of Renter Households Face Severe Affordability Problems

Cambridge, MA and Washington, DC – Multifamily housing construction has accelerated to its fastest pace in nearly 30 years but has still not been sufficient to meet surging demand. Rental vacancy rates are now at their lowest point since 1985 and inflation-adjusted rents are rising 3.5 percent annually.

Homeownership Rates Drop to Historic Lows; Middle Class Feels the Strain of Rising Rents

Cambridge, MA - The fledgling U.S. housing recovery lost momentum last year as homeownership rates continued to fall, single-family construction remained near historic lows, and existing home sales cooled, concludes The State of the Nation’s Housing report released today by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. In contrast, rental markets continued to grow, fueled by another year of large increases in the numbers of renter households.

Christopher E. Herbert to Lead Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies

CAMBRIDGE, MA - Mohsen Mostafavi, Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and David T. Ellwood, Dean of the Harvard Kennedy School, announced today that Dr. Christopher E. Herbert has been appointed Managing Director of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, effective January 1, 2015. In making this announcement, the Deans noted that Herbert is a nationally recognized scholar and researcher with great depth of experience in housing analysis and public policy.