Livable Communities
For years we've known that many local workers -- the proverbial teachers, nurses and firefighters, plus dozens of other professionals -- cannot afford to purchase a home in metropolitan Chicago ("Make less than $62k? Can't afford home in Chicago," March 24).
Now it's becoming clear that affordability is even more elusive. Traditionally housing has been deemed "affordable" if it costs 30 percent or less of household income. The Chicagobased Center for Neighborhood Technology has developed a truer measure of affordable living: The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index factors in both housing and transportation costs -- the top two household expenses -- showing that just 39 percent of U.S. metropolitan regions are affordable. Using the concepts behind the Index as a guide, the Obama administration is working to redefine affordability. The shift is part of what's been dubbed the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, to support more livable communities nationwide by coordinating the work of federal agencies responsible for housing, transportation and environmental policies and investments.
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