Affordable housing policies and programs; An Overview of the American Experience

Housing, as a consumer good and at the same time a capital good, is one of the main social needs that has become a scarce commodity in many societies. Therefore, the supply of affordable housing in the market and the access of low-income groups to it, is one of the main approaches to economic development of countries and all governments are trying to achieve it. The supply of this type of housing has always faced financial and even planning challenges and in many countries of the world has not been successful in this field. However, in the United States due to the many programs and policies that can be implemented and rely on social capital , Have had some success, and the housing market has been able to meet part of the housing needs of low-income groups, so much so that in almost all US states, low-cost housing umbrellas have been set up in a variety of ways for low-income groups. Is. Accordingly, a review of US experience shows that improving the quality and increasing the quantity of affordable housing along with income-housing mixing in neighborhoods is one of the major housing policies with programs such as comprehensive zoning, simplification of regulatory codes, housing selection coupons And land banks provide the conditions for reducing the final cost of housing construction on the one hand, and providing subsidies to low-income groups through housing developers on the other, which in turn proportional supply. They target the needs of low-income communities. In all low-cost housing programs, multilateralism in planning and financing is one of the main American experiences that has provided the grounds for using the capacities and capital of the society.