Recent trends in housing affordability research
This paper provides an updated account of housing affordability research in top-tier urban and housing-related journals. The theme and foci of affordability studies are reviewed based on a literature survey of 112 journal papers over the period 1990 to 2013. Six perspectives are encompassed, namely definition and measurement of affordability, housing poverty, affordable housing, the impact of planning and zoning; econometric analysis of housing affordability; and housing policy.
In particular, the study reviews the methodological development of, and barrier to, housing affordability measurement. The nature and extent of housing affordability are critically discussed, and the weakness of conventional measurement is commented on. Finally, a future research agenda is proposed.