What We Do

OUR MISSION

The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies strives to improve equitable access to decent, affordable homes in thriving communities. We conduct rigorous research to advance policy and practice, and we bring together diverse stakeholders to spark new ideas for addressing housing challenges. Through teaching and fellowships, we mentor and inspire 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 online, we host dozens of events each year to examine important housing policy issues. In addition to seminars, lectures, and livestreams, we convene conferences and symposia around the country, bringing together housing practitioners, researchers, and policymakers.

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 postdoctoral fellowships, 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.

FACULTY & TEACHING

Several of the Center’s senior researchers teach housing-related courses offered by the Harvard  Graduate School of Design and the Harvard Kennedy School. Our researchers also advise theses and Policy Analysis Exercises, present guest lectures, and serve as visiting critics for studios. The Center’s faculty affiliates include scholars from across the university.

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

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