Housing
The UHERO Housing Policy Group provides rigorous analyses to inform debates regarding housing in Hawaiʻi, with a focus on the high housing cost burdens experienced by the State’s residents. This problem is multiscalar in its origins and thus requires a bundle of analyses ranging from longitudinal portraits of the State’s housing market, to estimates of the impact of housing costs on diverse communities, to objective evaluations of proposed policy solutions.
Homeowner politics and housing supply
Abstract: This paper examines whether homeowner opposition to nearby housing development affects local councillors’ votes on housing bills. Homeowners benefit financially from restricted housing supply through increased housing prices. City councillors, who approve housing development applications, cater to the needs of homeowners who are often long-term resident voters with a financial stake in neighbourhood amenity […]
Read MoreThe Hawaii Housing Dashboard
The high cost of housing in Hawaiʻi imposes significant financial and emotional burdens on residents, making it a pressing concern across the islands. Comprehensive data and analysis serve as critical tools to inform discussions and policy decisions. In response to this need, UHERO launched the Hawaiʻi Housing Factbook project. The first edition of the Factbook, […]
Read MoreSea level rise risk interactions with coastal property values: a case study of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i
Abstract: Climate change-induced sea level rise (SLR) will affect a range of coastal assets and prompt difficult decisions about coastal land use across the world. Several recent studies find that current and projected SLR is associated with relatively lower property values. We contribute to this growing body of research with a case study of O‘ahu, […]
Read MoreAfter the Maui wildfires: The road ahead.
By Steven Bond-Smith, Daniela Bond-Smith, Carl Bonham, Leah Bremer, Kim Burnett, Makena Coffman, Peter Fuleky, Byron Gangnes, Rachel Inafuku, Ruben Juarez, Sumner La Croix, Colin Moore, Dylan Moore, Nori Tarui, Justin Tyndall, and Chris Wada The immediate recovery efforts from the devastating Maui wildfires continue, and at UHERO we share our community’s anguish over the […]
Read MoreThe Hawai‘i Housing Factbook
Residents of Hawai‘i face the highest housing costs in the nation. High housing costs lower the standard of living for residents and hinder the State’s ability to attract workers. Some households are forced to live in crowded conditions, some leave the state to find housing elsewhere, and some are forced to survive without housing at […]
Read MoreShort-term Vacation Rentals and Housing Costs in Hawaiʻi
By Rachel Inafuku and Justin Tyndall Of the state’s 565,000 total housing units, 30,000 are listed as Short-term Vacation Rentals (STRs), meaning roughly 5% of local housing units operate as tourist accommodations. In a tight housing market with high prices and barriers to creating new supply, removing supply from the long-term housing market could harm […]
Read MoreUHERO to collaborate with Honolulu in development of housing database
We are excited to announce a new partnership between UHERO and the City and County of Honolulu to develop and maintain an Oʻahu housing database. Dr. Philip Garboden, HCRC Distinguished Professor in Affordable Housing/Economics, will take lead on the project for UHERO. The database will list all of the island’s subsidized and price-restricted housing units […]
Read MoreJustin Tyndall and Philip Garboden featured in Hawaii Business Magazine to discuss private equity landlords in Hawai’i
Private equity firms have been buying rental properties in West O‘ahu. In an interview with Hawaii Business Magazine, UHERO’s Justin Tydnall and Philip Garboden explain why private equity landlords’ practices differ from those of smaller landlords, and what impacts private equity landlords may have on local renters. “The reality is until we start building 10,000 […]
Read MoreHEA Panel: Supply-side constraints to expanding residential housing
UHERO Executive Director Carl Bonham participated in a panel on supply-side constraints to expanding residential housing at the Hawaii Economic Association’s 2022 Annual Conference.
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