What We Do

OUR MISSION

The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies advances understanding of housing issues and informs policy. Through its research, education, and public outreach programs, the Center helps leaders in government, business, and the civic sectors make decisions that effectively address the needs of cities and communities. Through graduate and executive courses, as well as fellowships and internship opportunities, the Center also trains and inspires the next generation of housing leaders.

Center staff at a Habitat for Humanity build in Dorchester, MA (2018)

RESEARCH

Our Center produces a wide range of working papers, research briefs, and major reports about homeownership, rental housing, affordability, aging, remodeling, and more. Our annual State of the Nation’s Housing report has been the definitive source of information about US housing markets for over thirty years.

EVENTS

On campus and across the country, we host dozens of events each year to examine important housing policy issues. In addition to seminars, lectures, and panel discussions here at Harvard, we convene conferences and symposia around the country, bringing together housing practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. Many of our events are also livestreamed.

FELLOWSHIPS & GRANTS

During the academic year, we offer a variety of fellowships and grant opportunities to graduate and doctoral students across Harvard University. We also offer an annual prize for the Best Paper on Housing, and funding for student-run conferences and events.

INTERACTIVES & DATA

Our interactive maps and tools offer visual representations of important US housing information, including house prices, affordability concerns, home improvement spending, domestic migration patterns, and more. Each interactive is accompanied by downloadable datasets. Additionally, many of our reports include extensive, downloadable data at the national, state, and metro level on a variety of measures, including cost burdens, demographics, house prices, remodeling activity, housing construction levels, and much more.

Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
1 Bow Street, Suite 400, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
(617) 495-7908 ph | (617) 496-9957 fax | [email protected]